Rethinking Materials 2026: TNO showcases AI-powered polymer research

The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) has presented its PolyScout venture, which aims to develop bio-based and biodegradable polymers with packaging applications, at the Rethinking Materials 2026 Innovation and Investment Summit (April 28–29) in London, UK. 

“Our PolyScout and TNO teams attended Rethinking Materials to discuss the value chain with partners and how we can be of mutual help in finding sustainable solutions for material challenges,” Pieter Imhof, senior business developer at TNO and commercial lead at PolyScout, tells Packaging Insights. 

“We discussed regulations, some of which are already due in 2030, as well as finding circular alternatives to critical, unsafe, or fossil-based materials.”

“We approached the Summit from various angles, centered around designing materials with the market and customer in mind. Not only the physical and mechanical characteristics, but also taking into account the specifications from end-of-life, safety, costs, and environmental impact.”

Imhof explains that PolyScout combines AI with advanced experimental techniques, while taking into account societal and material requirements for product usage, as well as the end-of-life.

“AI modeling is based on real, validated data from literature, experimentation, and collaborations with partners in the value chain, which is different from the standard approach in which all available data is taken into account — garbage in equals garbage out.”

Moreover, the team behind PolyScout offers expertise in market, polymer, technology, and AI, which Imhof says translates market needs into requirements, material and application characteristics, and models. 

Packaging applications

Imhof says PolyScout’s bio-based polymer research is relevant to a variety of applications, including those in the packaging sector.

Pieter Imhof, senior business developer at TNO and commercial lead at PolyScout, at Rethinking Materials.“When stringent regulations meet innovation and processing procedures, it typically sets limitations to some of the solutions,” he adds.

“A great example is the ‘soup pouches’ project, where a monomaterial design was implemented to deal with high demands, like regulations, processing at high temperatures, and packaging integrity. This includes leakage prevention, package sealing after being filled with hot soup, and high safety standards.”

TNO achieved this in collaboration with material suppliers, soup producers, and the brand owner, according to Imhof. 

“Another example is designing sustainable packaging for medical applications,” he adds. 

Research approach 

According to TNO, PolyScout speeds up and improves material design by combining polymer science with machine‑learning solutions.

Moreover, PolyScout can speed up and improve material design by combining polymer science with machine‑learning solutions.

“Additionally, we can produce the designed material, validate the polymer, and prove it in an application, as well as scale up to the required volume,” says Imhof.

“In this way, the design and proof of the development of new materials is accelerated by years, as the typical development cycle of new polymers takes at least 10–15 years.”

“Additionally, the available designs come from a much larger solution space than traditional approaches, thus giving a higher chance of success in a shorter time.”

Imhof adds that another approach TNO implemented at this year’s Rethinking Materials is the Safe and Sustainable by Design approach.

“It includes advanced bonding and debonding technologies, allowing researchers to achieve desired properties in products, while maintaining their ability to return to basic materials at end-of-life. For example, this can be achieved by triggering debonding of layers of composites and laminates with magnetic fields.”

Also at the Rethinking Materials, Polytag and Kraft Heinz showcased their joint connected data carrier approach to optimize recycling and traceability.