Melodea invests in two-in-one VBseal coating to replace plastics

27 Mar 2023 --- Israeli green-tech company Melodea has launched VBseal, an environmentally sustainable coating to cut plastic waste in consumer packaged goods. The company has also opened a pilot plant and innovation center.

Melodea’s plant and center were created to serve customers and demonstrate coating solutions. The site will also test existing barrier coating products and produce coated reels and pouches at a pilot scale. 

VBseal is resistant to water vapor, oil, aroma and has heat-sealing properties. The coating is fully recyclable. Additionally, it is free from paraformaldehyde and bisphenol A and is FDA- and BfR-compatible.

“The VBseal is two products in one coating layer, making it a revolutionary product that answers the needs of the packaging industry for sustainable paper packaging. It offers exceptional resistance to water vapor and heat-sealing properties while being recyclable,” Cee Azerraf, vice president of sales and marketing of Melodea tells PackagingInsights.

Melodea’s leading team at the pilot plant. Two-in-one solution
The coating joins Melodea’s eco-friendly barrier coating products, MelOx for oxygen and VBcoat for water vapor, oil and grease. The new addition combines the need for water vapor and heat sealing. 

“Packaging producers urgently need a sustainable barrier coating that has both water vapor protection and heat sealable properties and can replace the commonly used plastic PE layer,” says Azerraf.

“Our R&D team worked on this new product joining our existing VBcoat and, as with all of our products, it was crucial that it be recyclable and easy to apply on existing coating lines.”

VBseal is designed to line the packaging of fresh foods, cereals, fast foods, detergents, cosmetics and confectionery such as biscuits and ice cream. 

“VBseal offers a solution that enables the reduction or even the eradication of plastics in packaging. The new product is ideal to replace EVOH and/or PE on paper as it has the same or higher performance while being price competitive with these structures,” continues Azerraf.

Center for green innovation
Melodea opened its new pilot center. It invested US$500,000 in equipment and analytics tools to support consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies and packaging producers to meet environmental sustainability goals in green packaging. 

The new center will serve companies across the packaging value chain to explore sustainable plastic, paper and bioplastics barrier solutions.

“We offer our clients a location to evaluate their products using our eco-friendly solutions, with full control of the coating process,” says Shaul Lapidot, CEO and co-founder of Melodea. Melodea designs a fully recyclable coating for water vapor and heat sealing.

“We can utilize Melodea’s R&D team’s vast know-how of coatings with optimizing barrier performance and analyze the results on site, and help shorten time-to-market for new products and packages.”

According to Melodea, many of the world’s largest CPG companies have made public commitments that 100% of their packaging will be recyclable or reusable within 5-10 years. This and public demand are causing the industry to move away from single-use plastics. 

Ecological motivation
The company references a study by the Back to Blue group warning that The amount of plastic used worldwide – with most ending up in landfills – could almost double by 2050 if urgent action is not taken. 

Without significant policy interventions, the number of plastics consumed across the G20 nations will surpass 450 million metric tons annually by 2050, nearly twice the level in 2019 of 261 million metric tons. 

The report continues that a global ban on unnecessary single-use plastic items will be the most effective policy. However, it says the UN global plastic pollution treaty may be too weak to bend the consumption curve downward. 

“The VBseal by Melodea is aimed at eco-conscious brand owners, retailers, and converters. It offers a solution that enables the reduction or even the eradication of plastics in packaging,” Azerraf concludes. 

By Sabine Waldeck