Scaling up biodegradable plant-based resin production for high-volume food-contact packaging, starting with functional and barrier coatings for paperboard applications

由于消费者、行业和监管压力，品牌所有者越来越面临从塑料包装转向纸板包装的压力；然而，在许多纸板包装应用中(例如，一次性外卖容器)，需要功能性和阻隔性涂料来提供使用性能。然而，传统的基于石油的涂料(通常是聚乙烯)消耗不可再生的化石燃料资源，不可生物降解(在环境中分解释放持久性微塑料)，以及难以回收(既被食物垃圾和油脂高度污染，也很难与纸板分离)，污染了纸板回收流。因此，一次性使用的涂有塑料涂层的纸板外卖容器注定要被焚烧、填埋或环境排放。Xanta的使命是永远取代世界上污染最严重的塑料。我们最初于2018年从剑桥大学剥离出来，现在剑桥科学园生物创新中心拥有一个35人的团队，我们的专利和改变游戏规则的技术利用了植物蛋白质的自然自组装能力。我们创造了一种新型的结构化蛋白质材料，这种材料在使用中具有良好的性能，是基于生物/植物的、可生物降解的、可制造的，并且可以在传统的回收工艺步骤中溶解和移除。我们利用私人和公共资金实现了快速、成功的商业化，从而在多种高价值、小批量应用中推出了创新产品。Innove UK Smart Funding将正式确定Xanta与特种化学品制造和分销的全球领先者200万之间的发展合作伙伴关系(女王国际贸易奖)。我们将共同扩大Xanta可生物降解植物基树脂的生产，用于大批量包装应用。我们将从用于纸板包装的功能性和阻隔性涂料开始，这个市场在2021年被史密瑟斯评估为78.4亿美元，负责每年生产319万吨难回收、不可生物降解的石油基涂料。成功的Smart项目成果将使Xanta、200万和英国成为可持续包装的世界领先者。

Brand owners are increasingly under pressure to transition from plastic to paperboard packaging in response to consumer, industry, and regulatory pressures; however, in many paperboard packaging applications (for example, single-use takeaway containers), functional and barrier coatings are required to deliver performance in use.Yet, traditional petroleum-based coatings (typically, polyethylene) consume non-renewable fossil fuel resources, are non-biodegradable (breaking down in the environment to release persistent microplastics), and hard-to-recycle (being both highly contaminated with food waste and grease, as well as difficult to separate from the paperboard), contaminating paperboard recycling streams. Consequently, single-use plastic-coated paperboard takeaway containers are destined for incineration, landfill, or environmental release.Xampla's mission is to replace the world's most polluting plastics for good. Originally spun out from the University of Cambridge in 2018 and now with a team of 35 people based in the Cambridge Science Park Bioinnovation Centre, our patented and game-changing technology harnesses the natural ability of plant proteins to self-assemble. We have created a new class of structured protein materials that deliver performance in use, are bio-/plant-based, biodegradable, manufacturable, and can be solubilised and removed within conventional recycling process steps. We have leveraged private and public funding to deliver swift, successful commercialisation, resulting in innovative product launches in multiple high-value, low-volume applications.Innovate UK Smart funding will formalise a development partnership between Xampla and 2M, global leader in manufacture and distribution of specialty chemicals (Queen's Award for International Trade). Together, we will scale up production of Xampla's biodegradable plant-based resin for high-volume packaging applications. We will start with functional and barrier coatings for paperboard packaging, a market valued by Smithers at USD7.84 billion in 2021 and responsible for the annual production of 3.19 megatonnes of hard-to-recycle, non-biodegradable, petroleum-based coatings.Successful Smart project outcomes will position Xampla, 2M, and UK as world leaders in sustainable packaging.