Billerud Launch Paper Range Incorporating Biomaster

Billerud have launched a new range of paper incorporating Biomaster silver based antimicrobial additives.

The new Steri-Kraft range of medical grade paper is launched this week at the Medica exhibition in Germany.

The world is being hit by multi-resistant bacteria – but they can be stopped. British based Addmaster´s range of antimicrobial additives has a proven effect on MRSA and some fifty other virulent bacteria. The additives, named Biomaster, are now available in Billerud´s packaging paper.

Biomaster has a proven effect on superbugs such as MRSA, as well as E-coli or Salmonella and has been tested on more than 50 bacteria in over 2,000 independent tests. Biomaster can be used on all kinds of surface materials.
“Cleanliness is extremely important when it comes to stopping the bacteria. But keeping clean is not always enough. MRSA bacteria can survive on surfaces up to 38 weeks so if an infected hand touches a clean surface the infection can spread further,” says Paul Morris, Managing Director of Addmaster, which has launched more than 1,000 products, many of which are now industry standards.

The secret behind the Biomaster solution is silver – a metal with proven antimicrobial properties. Silver ions are released on demand and bond to the bacteria’s enzymes and cell membranes inhibiting growth and replication. The silver ions do not kill the cell which could lead to a mutation developing resistance – they only stop it from forming new cells.
”The resistance we see worldwide comes from overuse of antibiotics, where we have used bacteria to fight bacteria. This has made a few of them stronger, extremely difficult to treat and life threatening. But our Biomaster solution provides a safe and effective method to fight them back”, says Paul Morris.

Billerud can now incorporate Biomasters’ additives in its Sterikraft medical packaging papers.
”Naturally, we want to do everything we can to prevent these superbugs from spreading and assist in their elimination. We are now extremely pleased to be able to offer our products treated with Biomaster,” says Steven Blacow, Sales and Marketing Director at Billerud.

Source - Billerud, November 2009

Addmaster is Europe's leading supplier of performance additives for a wide range of applications and industries. By working in partnership with its customers and focussing on research and development, highly innovative additives have been created and successfully introduced into many manufacturing environments. Addmaster's advanced products are being used by many of the world's industry leaders in the plastics, paper, paint, textile and coating industries.Addmaster, founded in the year 2000, sees its major objective as capitalising on the lack of innovation which exists in these industry sectors, and has won many business awards for innovations in product development and marketing.