PulPac secures “global ownership” of Dry Molded Fiber plastic-replacement tech with European patent
06 Sep 2021 --- PulPac has announced that the European Patent Office intends to grant the Dry Molder Fiber specialist a general patent. Europe becomes the third major region – after the US and Japan – to confirm PulPac’s ownership of the process of dry molding cellulose fibers.
Dry Molder Fiber is a breakthrough technology enabling the replacement of single-use plastics on a global scale.
“As PackagingInsights has reported, there is a global ‘fiber frenzy’ within packaging. Innovation in plastic replacement is booming, and all of the big global FMCG brands are looking for sustainable packaging,” Sanna Fager, PulPac’s CCO, tells PackagingInsights.
“We have pioneered the technology of cellulose molding and made it possible to replace single-use plastics with a patented and market-ready fiber-based alternative that is good for business, consumers and the world we share,” explains Peter Ekwall, PulPac’s IP manager.
Air not water
The European patent – which covers the use of air instead of water when molding cellulose fibers – has also been granted by the US, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Chile, Indonesia, Ukraine and South Africa.
Dry Molded Fiber can lower CO2 emissions by 90% compared to plastic at a similar unit cost, PulPac says.“As owners of this game-changing technology, it is our duty to the planet to spread it as fast and wide as we can. By making it available through licensing, we can quickly scale and help speed up the transition toward a more sustainable packaging industry,” comments Linus Larsson, PulPac’s CEO.
“We invite converters, brands and suppliers in plastics or fiber that wish to grow with Dry Molded Fiber and support the advancement of a truly sustainable fiber packaging solution, to join our technology pool.”
Pooling knowledge and resources
The Dry Molded Fiber Technology Pool is an exclusive open-source community, where members gain access to PulPac’s registered patent rights and the company’s expertise in Dry Molded Fiber technology and processes.
In return, PulPac receives royalties while promising not to block other partners within the pool via new patents around Dry Molded Fiber.
“Members of the pool will contribute to the expansion and quality of the pool with further patents and know-how. Together, we will win on price and sustainability against plastics,” Larsson continues.
“We aim to replace one million tons of single-use plastic by 2025. That equals a decrease of global CO2 emissions from the industry with up to five million tons and conserves massive amounts of valuable water resources.”
Big investments
To date, licensees and partners have invested close to US$100 million in Dry Molded Fiber. PulPac and its Technology Pool are making “massive efforts” to build a global supply chain of machinery and materials for industry use.
PulPac now has global IP coverage of Dry Molded Fiber with 65 national granted patents.“It is a giant mission to disrupt a trillion-dollar industry from within, but Dry Molded Fibers is one of the candidates leading the race for sustainable packaging,” explains Larsson.
“PulPac is here to support the global transformation to fiber with many more innovations to come.”
PulPac now has global IP coverage of Dry Molded Fiber with 65 national granted patents and 39 patent applications. Several new patent applications are being filed later this year as PulPac continues to spearhead inventions and protect the Technology Pool.
The fiber-based frenzy
The hotly debated EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD), first announced in 2019, is now in force. Since Saturday July 3, single-use plastic cotton bud sticks, cutlery, plates, straws, stirrers, balloon sticks and EPS drinks and food containers cannot be sold within the EU.
These disposable items were identified as the most polluting single-use items found on European beaches.
While many environmental activists welcome the new regulations, industry now faces a range of practical and legislative hurdles, presenting lucrative opportunities in many sectors while also raising fresh concerns around the impacts and implications of plastic-replacement materials.
PackagingInsights recently discussed the role of fiber-based alternatives in single-use packaging with experts from PulPac and Zume, two companies focused on developing cost-effective fiber-based alternatives to disposable plastic packaging and items.
By Joshua Poole
