Amcor grants US$500,000 for biomaterials and metal innovation in Lift-Off seed-funding competition

08 Sep 2022 --- Bloom Biorenewables and Nfinite Nanotechnology have been revealed as the winners of Amcor’s Lift-Off investment program, with each startup landing US$250,000. Amcor says it is looking to “drive a revolution” in packaging and create a more environmentally sustainable industry.

Swiss-based chemical and biomaterials start-up, Bloom Biorenewables, developed a new type of polyester (PAX), which can be made in three steps from biomass, while Nfinite Nanotechnology introduced Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition (SALD) – a cost-effective method of metal-oxide coating.

“Amcor will continue to work with these companies, providing them with investment and direct collaboration with its research and development department,” Frank Lehmann, vice president of corporate venturing and open innovation at Amcor, tells PackagingInsights.

“While this does entail exclusive collaboration and work, Amcor’s relationship with these two companies will help propel them from start-ups to established companies who can help drive the packaging industry forward.”

The initiative, first announced in April this year, aims to support seed-stage start-ups focused on innovative packaging solutions and related technologies.

“We’ve been impressed with what Bloom and Nfinite Nanotechnology have to offer,” Lehmann says. “Both start-ups are rooted in a culture of innovation and creativity, looking to break boundaries and disrupt the packaging industry as we know it.”

Amcor Lift-Off is part of the organization’s corporate venturing work to drive sustainability in the packaging industry.Plant-based polyester
Bloom PAX mimics the structure of PET but can be easily synthesized from either xylose or biomass conversion into replacement acid in polyesters. The properties of this new biomaterial match both the mechanical and functional requirements needed for quality packaging and provide a more sustainable end-of-life solution, both recyclable and biodegradable.

According to Amcor, Bloom technology responds to two acute needs of the chemical industry: sourcing of renewable carbon for packaging made from biomaterials and circular end-of-life solutions for such packaging.

“Lift-Off is accelerating both innovations and their implementation in the field of sustainable packaging,” says Remy Buser, co-founder and CEO at Bloom Biorenewables.

Eco-friendly nanocoating
Developed at the University of Waterloo, Nfinite Nanotechnology is a venture-backed start-up in Canada that has developed solvent-free metal-oxide barrier nanocoatings.

The key innovation in this nanotech is the SALD method. It is undertaken without a vacuum chamber in a faster process, at low temperature in the open air (continuous process and batch process are supported).

This new process can be integrated directly into manufacturing lines, making the industry’s operations in this sphere more efficient once at a scalable level.

The present metal-oxide coating methods in industry (i.e., physical and chemical vapor deposition) are vacuum-based batch processes that make the process expensive and slow, according to the company.

“Amcor’s expertise and support will enable us to streamline the integration of our nanocoating solution into existing packaging production ecosystems. With the support of partners such as Amcor, we will accelerate the global transition to eliminate plastic waste,” says Chee Hau Teoh, CEO and co-founder at Nfinite Nanotechnology.

Strategic moves
Bloom and Nfinite Nanotechnology represent the first two companies selected in the Amcor Lift-Off initiative, with more recipients to be announced soon.

“To help keep the strategy and innovative pipeline filled, Amcor plans additional lift-off programs in the future as well as announcing additional recipients of seed funding,” Lehmann tells us.Bloom Biorenewables and Nfinite Nanotechnology are revealed as the winners of Lift-Off investment of US$250,000 each.

Amcor Lift-Off is part of the organization’s corporate venturing work focused on investing in innovative businesses and packaging solutions to drive long-term growth.

Last month, Amcor acquired a flexible packaging plant in the Czech Republic and expanded its Innovation Center Network with a new facility in Jiangyin, China.

While the flexible packaging plant’s strategic location boosts the supplier’s ability to meet strong demand and customer growth across its European network, the new facility in China provides customers across the region access to Amcor’s expertise to accelerate the development of environmentally sustainable packaging solutions.

Keeping up with recyclability, Amcor introduced samples of spirits bottles made of recyclable PET that meet the US Tax and Trade Bureau size approvals.

The supplier said this development initiative was the first product line family in the marketplace to align sizing across bottles with different capacities, providing customers with the freedom and flexibility to explore new markets while gauging consumer interest.

By Radhika Sikaria