W-Cycle and Melhoramentos boosts compostable food pack collaboration
W-Cycle has received a new investment from Melhoramentos to strengthen their partnership which promotes plastic-free, compostable food containers. The move follows a US$3.4 million partnership deal signed last November that aims to introduce compostable food packaging in Latin America.
W-Cycle is an Israel-based compostable food packaging manufacturer that aims to reduce the amount of single-use plastic. At the same time, Melhoramento is a Brazilian conglomerate with activities spanning packaging manufacturing, publishing, renewable forestry, and real estate.
Rafael Gibini, CEO at Melhoramento, says: “Having successfully merged our raw materials with W-Cycle’s truly groundbreaking solution and after a year and a half of consultations and professional support, this proven and tested innovation and collaboration, makes this latest investment the logical next step forward.”
W-Cycle is “breaking ground” with its SupraPulp range formulas, which aim to help molded-fiber manufacturers produce food-compliant, eco-friendly trays and containers that do not require plastic lamination and fully decompose.
Isaac Rome, CEO at W-Cycle, comments: “We are excited and feel fortunate to collaborate with Melhoramentos in moving our venture forward. Our shared mission to improve the global food packaging value chain will help build a sustainable future for all.”
“The financial support from this leading company gives us significant R&D leverage and acceleration into large-scale commercial deployment with multi-million-dollar revenue.”
Plastic alternatives
The food packaging industry is increasingly transitioning to compostable solutions to meet the growing demand to have plastic-free packaging, according to W-Cycle.
W-Cycle’s additives can be combined with various types of fiber-based sidestreams, such as sugarcane waste (bagasse) or eucalyptus wood fiber, to boost material resilience, allowing for molded fiber food packaging that is eco-friendly but can withstand grease, moisture, and temperature variations.
“This investment not only solidifies our strategic alliance with Melhoramentos, unlocking powerful synergies. It also opens new doors to solutions that can tangibly address the rising calls for high-performance materials sourced from renewable resources that can effectively replace single-use plastic containers,” continues Rome.
W-Cycle portfolio offers durable, temperature-resistant packaging solutions for holding oily, frozen, and hot foods. These products are ideal for the food service, catering, and ready-to-eat meal sectors, withstanding temperatures from -40 to 220 degrees Celsius without leakage or breakage.
Compostables in Latin America
W-Cycle indicates that in Latin America, manufacturers are adopting more recyclable and compostable materials, aligning with growing consumer environmental consciousness.
Recently, Dr. Mércia Fernandes, commercial representative for Brazil at plastic fabrication company Gaia BioMaterials, told us that Brazil’s demand for compostable packing is rooted in the global challenge to reduce single-use plastic pollutants.
To meet this demand, Gaia BioMaterials appointed MFI Polymers as its commercial representative in Brazil to introduce its compostable material Biodolomer.
