ProAmpac partners with Stuttgart Media University for coated paper technology development

18 Aug 2023 --- ProAmpac is collaborating with the packaging engineering department at Stuttgart Media University (HMD), Germany, to develop technologies for high-performance coated paper that can be curbside recycled.

HMD will provide its printing and coater assets alongside the department’s expertise in paper and coating technologies, while ProAmpac leverages its material science and fiber-based packaging capabilities.

“This partnership, combined with our other global material and food science university partnerships, will expand the applications of our sustainable fiber-based product portfolio by offering very high-performance recyclable paper technologies to our customers,” says Hesam Tabatabaei, senior vice president of Global Product Development and Innovation at ProAmpac.

Professor Michael Herrenbauer, packaging engineering department of HMD, adds that the partnership will advance novel paper-based sustainable packaging. “The development of sustainable materials and coatings for packaging is our research focus. It is a great honor for us to collaborate with ProAmpac in this important field,” he says.

Technology alliances
ProAmpac builds its material science and packaging technology portfolio through global university partnerships, including relations with Canada’s Polytechnique Montréal, US Clemson University, US Rutgers University and the University of Manchester, UK.

The focus areas for Polytechnique Montréal and ProAmpac are smart packaging technology for food safety and sustainability, including bio-based and compostable materials. The five-year extension agreement, announced in 2020, builds on a ten year collaboration.

It includes a US$1 million Alliance Grant from Canada’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and funds from the PRIMA Quebec Advanced Materials Research and Innovation Hub, Polytechnique Montréal and ProAmpac.

Furthermore, the flexible packager’s partnership with the Clemson University Department of Food, Nutrition and Packaging Sciences supports its commitment to leading the industry in developing smart food packaging. 

ProAmpac also harnessed testing capabilities from Rutgers University’s Department of Food Science professor Dr. Kit Yam to advance active and intelligent packaging. 

Additionally, last October, the company teamed up with the Recon, a University of Manchester, spin-off non-profit organization, to support a patented technology quantifying recycled content in plastic products and packaging.

By Radhika Sikaria