The European Union is taking significant steps to tackle the escalating issue of plastic waste through the Single-Use Plastics (SUP) directive. This initiative is compelling businesses in the food and drink packaging sector to explore alternatives to traditional fossil-based plastics, pushing for the adoption of biodegradable materials. The directive specifically targets items that are typically used once and discarded, such as yoghurt cups, single-use containers, and snack pouches.
In response, the packaging industry is actively innovating and forming partnerships to facilitate this essential transition. Lactips and Walki are aligned in their dedication to sustainable and environmentally friendly growth, leading them to establish a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) aimed at creating a paper-based food packaging material coated with natural polymer.
We are proud to collaborate with Walki to create innovative, fully recyclable solutions in the paper stream for the food and drink packaging industry. This partnership merges our expertise in natural polymer formulation with Walki’s cutting-edge production capabilities, marking a crucial advancement towards reducing plastic waste and enhancing circularity in packaging solutions. We are thrilled to partner with a company that shares our values of sustainability and environmental responsibility, reinforcing our collective commitment to a cleaner, plastic-free future” – Bertrand Dupeyroux, VP Sales & Marketing at Lactips.
“This partnership is a win-win. We appreciate the agility and innovative spirit that Lactips, as a startup, brings to the table and are eager to leverage our expertise and advanced production lines for piloting these solutions” – Annika Sundell, Executive Vice President, Consumer Packaging and Innovation & Sustainability at Walki Group.
A Successful Collaboration Launched in 2022
Since 2022, Lactips and Walki have collaborated to develop a packaging grade tailored to Walki’s conversion processes. Their goal is to cater to the flexible and solid packaging markets in Europe and Asia with a solution that is both recyclable in paper streams and home compostable.
Under this new agreement, Lactips will deliver unique formulations of natural polymers to Walki, while Walki will ensure that the resulting packaging products meet market demands regarding properties and processability. This innovative product line could potentially reach the market by 2025-2026.
“Since we began our initial tests in 2022, we have partnered closely with Walki’s teams to create a high-performance solution that excels technically and economically. Over the past two years, we have intensified testing to ensure that our solution is optimized for processing on Walki’s production line. This new phase in our collaboration represents the success of an ambitious joint project that we at Lactips take immense pride in” – Benoît Berny, Product Innovation Manager at Lactips.
“When processing milk, casein is produced as a byproduct. Lactips has transformed this casein into a bio-based natural polymer that is entirely biodegradable. Identifying the ideal material that prevents food spoilage while being fully biodegradable poses a challenge. However, casein meets all requirements concerning the SUP regulations” – Mats Käldström, Manager, Development & Innovation at Walki Group.
For further details, visit: https://www.lactips.com/
