Patent ID: 8367173

Claim:
A package comprising: (a) a biodegradable sealant having a thickness of about 12 μm to about 100 μm; (b) a barrier material selected from the group consisting of a metal, a metal oxide, a nanoclay, and a mixture thereof coating the sealant, wherein the barrier material has a thickness of about 200 Å to about 50 μm and a surface that has an energy of at least about 38 dynes per centimeter (dyne/cm), or that is treatable to an energy of at least about 38 dyne/cm; and, (c) ink deposited on the barrier material, and having a thickness of about 1 μm to about 20 μm; wherein the package has a moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) of less than about 10 grams per square meter per day (g/m 2 /day) at 37° C. and 90% relative humidity (RH); wherein the package has a shelf life of at least about one year when containing a liquid consumer product; and, wherein the package, within two years after first and continuous exposure to water and sealant-degrading microorganisms, disintegrates into pieces sufficiently small to pass through a one millimeter sieve.