Manufacturer of speciality papers Fedrigoni is targeting sustainable packaging through the acquisition of a minority stake in Papkot, a start-up company that develops large-scale coating technology that its claimed gives paper the same properties as plastic.
Papkot’s proprietary coating platform delivers high-barrier, fully recyclable and biodegradable fibre-based paper and packaging at industrial scale, which Fedrigoni claims make it superior to conventional plastic coatings and biopolymer-based barriers aimed at eliminating plastic from single-use packaging. The company added that, as a consequence, its customers can be supported in developing mono-material and fully recyclable packaging.
Together, Fedrigoni and Papkot will look to accelerate the deployment of this technology worldwide, giving brands access to more sustainable high-performance packaging solutions at scale.
Papkot was founded in 2020. It has research and development hubs in France and China, and also contract manufacturing partnerships in France, USA, and China. Serving food and consumer goods brands, its barrier technology achieves high resistance to water, grease, oil, and glycerol, and also provides properties such as transparency or other tailored surface properties. It does this through replacing silicon and cellulose into a nanostructured material that eliminates plastic from single-use packaging.
Papkot produces plastic-free coatings, providing a more environmentally friendly solution to packaging, free from harmful substances like PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl). These coatings have been validated across a range of paper substrates, including virgin and recycled fibres, while ongoing industrial trials are further expanding compatibility, explained Papkot.
The applications that can be realised with this proprietary technology are diverse, from disposable packaging and wrapping for food purposes, fire retardant or transparent paper to disposable cups, stated Papkot. Using AI, the company develops tailored solutions for customers, measures material performance, and makes faster, data-driven innovations.
As part of Fedrigoni’s corporate venture capital program to identify industry-changing startups that are a proven; Papkot falls under that category, states Marco Nespolo, CEO of the Fedrigoni Group.
‘This investment has enormous potential for Fedrigoni,’ he said. ‘We will have the opportunity to acquire disruptive technology in plastic-to-fibre that will allow us to increasingly support our customers in their efforts to develop mono-material and fully recyclable packaging. Furthermore, Fedrigoni will play a key role in accelerating the industrialisation phase, which is essential for the scalability of the Papkot business model.’
Fulvio Capussotti, executive VP Fedrigoni Special Papers, RFID and innovation and chief sustainability officer at Fedrigoni Group, added, ‘This advanced technology is synergistic with both Fedrigoni’s specialty papers and self-adhesive materials businesses. In addition to barrier-coating, this solution makes it possible to replace the label liner, normally made of silicon, with a totally recyclable material.
‘It also represents an accelerator in the Group’s innovation processes and is consistent with our ESG strategy to 2030, which aims to have 100% of materials designed for optimal recyclability and end-of-life recovery,’ he concluded.
