Amcor has entered a research project agreement with Nfinite Nanotechnology to validate the use of the nanocoating technology to enhance recyclable and compostable packaging.
In the proof-of-concept phase of the project, Nfinite’s coating technology will be applied to Amcor’s existing recyclable and compostable packaging material. The objective is to deliver an oxygen barrier to improve the performance of recyclable and compostable packaging.
Once validated, the next stage of development will seek to ensure the products are optimised to Amcor’s manufacturing processes and analyse additional substrates, such as bio-based materials, to create more sustainable applications.
This project marks an important milestone in the partnership between Amcor and Nfinite that began in 2022 when Nfinite was selected as an Amcor Lift-Off winner.
In addition to receiving $250,000 in seed funding, Amcor Lift-Off start-ups can work with Amcor’s R&D team to create new applications to advance both companies’ efforts toward driving circularity.
Developed at the University of Waterloo, Nfinite Nanotechnology is a venture-backed start-up in Canada that uses nanocoating to keep products fresh and enable sustainable packaging at a commercial scale and cost.
Nfinite’s vapour-deposited nanocoating is eco-friendly, solvent-free, ultrathin, multifunctional, and applied at low temperatures in the open air without a vacuum chamber, unlocking new opportunities for process integration and scalability.
“This joint research project agreement is an important step and showcases Amcor’s solution-based commitment to sustainability and innovation,” Amcor vice-president of corporate venturing and open innovation Frank Lehmann said.
“Collaborating with innovative start-ups like Nfinite, particularly in the early stage of this exciting new technology, is one more way we are working to advance our shared sustainability goals.”
Nfinite Nanotechnology co-founder and CEO Chee Hau Teoh said, “We’re very pleased to have Amcor’s support in advancing our ambitions to deliver this nanocoating technology in packaging applications. Once scaled up, we can begin looking for pilot companies eager to leverage this technology”.
