Helmut Schober, Director General ESS, Joakim Tuvesson, Vice President Materials & Package Tetra Pak, and Mene Pangalos, ESS High Level Industrial Forum.
Tetra Pak recently hosted an Innovation Day, uniting academics from universities with research managers from leading companies. The aim was to explore how the food and beverage packaging sector can capitalize on the new international research facility, the European Spallation Source (ESS), to develop sustainable packaging materials.
Set to be completed in 2027, the ESS will become the world’s most powerful facility for research using neutron beams. Neutrons, being uncharged particles located in the atomic nucleus, will empower researchers to delve deeper into materials, enhancing our understanding of their structures and processes. This facility will host various multidisciplinary research projects, enabling studies at atomic and molecular levels.
The Innovation Day, now in its third year, is led by the ESS High Level Industrial Forum, an advisory body aimed at fostering collaboration. This year’s event emphasizes engagement between university researchers and business leaders.
“As the ESS prepares to become operational, it is vital for us to convene future users, spanning the scientific community and industry. This collaboration will ensure that society fully benefits from this world-class research facility. The ESS offers unparalleled tools that can provide new insights to tackle significant challenges,” states Helmut Schober, Director General at ESS.
“Material research plays a crucial role in the transition to a low-carbon economy. Tetra Pak is committed to investing approximately €100m annually in packaging research and development over the next five to ten years. Our goal is to design packaging with simplified structures to reduce the environmental impact of our products. Neutron research holds tremendous potential for yielding new findings, which will significantly benefit the industry,” remarks Joakim Tuvesson, Head of Materials and Packaging Solutions at Tetra Pak, and host of this year’s Innovation Day in Lund.
The program at this year’s Innovation Day includes presentations by Professor Toshiya Otomo from Japan’s J-PARC neutron research facility, who will discuss the synergy achieved through collaboration within the industry. Additionally, Professor Mene Pangalos, former Global Research Director at AstraZeneca and recently elected member of the ESS High Level Industrial Forum, will also share his insights.
