Press ReleasesAdoption of "SHIELDPLUS®" as the First Paper-Based Product in Toppan Printing's "GL BARRIER" Series

Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd.

Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd. (hereinafter the "Company") is pleased to announce that Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (hereinafter "Toppan Printing") has decided to adopt "SHIELDPLUS®", a paper-based barrier material under development by the Company, as the first paper-based product in Toppan Printing's "GL BARRIER" series.

"GL BARRIER" is a brand for barrier products that enjoy a leading share of the global market. "GL BARRIER" can help address social issues including food loss and the need for resource saving. It is used in about 45 countries and regions. Toppan Printing's latest decision to adopt "SHIELDPLUS®" as the first paper-based barrier material for its "GL BARRIER" series gave the Company a tremendous advantage in expanding the barrier material's sales in the future.

Paper products for which "SHIELDPLUS®" was adopted as a base material

© Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.

■Toppan Printing markets its first paper products in the "GL BARRIER" series

The new products Toppan Printing has developed are paper-based packaging materials. The combination of some of the strongest barrier properties in Japan, which the Company's "SHIELDPLUS®" features as a paper, and Toppan Printing's converting and material design technologies have enabled these packaging materials for the first time. Toppan Printing can reduce the manufacturing and environmental burden by using "SHIELDPLUS®" as a base material. Toppan Printing plans to start shipping samples for the food and toiletries industries in Japan and overseas from the spring of 2018 as new packaging products that offer the texture of paper.

With the adoption of "SHIELDPLUS®" for the series of products sold worldwide as a boost, the Company plans to advance activities for selling this barrier material in the growing market for barrier products. At the same time, the Company will focus on developing new functional materials under the slogan of "shaping the future with trees" and based on the idea of "Paper can do more. Would you like to use paper?", applying the technologies associated with papermaking that we have developed over years.


■Environmentally friendly paper-based barrier material "SHIELDPLUS®"
In addition to the basic function of protecting package contents, consideration for the global environment, such as the risk of global warming and the prevention of marine pollution, has been sought for packages in recent years. SHIELDPLUS® is an environmentally friendly material made of wood, which is a renewable resource. It is also a new barrier material to which the texture of paper unavailable from films can be added. The Company officially launched sales of SHIELDPLUS® on October 30, 2017. The product has received an impressive response in Japan and overseas as an environmentally friendly barrier material.

Characteristics of "SHIELDPLUS®"

1. Oxygen and vapor barrier properties
Superior barrier properties protect the content and maintain its quality.

2. Flavor barrier property
The SHIELDPLUS® maintains good flavors and blocks unpleasant smells. It also prevents odor from transferring.

3. Friendly to the environment
Using a base material made of wood as renewable and recycled resources.