Major manufacturing company takes proactive stance against emerging threat: 'We have a mission'

Known for manufacturing specialized papers and self-adhesives, Italy-based packaging company Fedrigoni announced its investment in France-based startup Papkot, per Label & Narrow Web.

"This investment has enormous potential for Fedrigoni," Marco Nespolo, chief executive officer at the Fedrigoni Group, said in a press release that heralded the "plastic-to-fiber transition in sustainable packaging."

Papkot, founded in 2020, has developed high-performance plastic-free coatings that are highly resistant to water, grease, oil, and glycerol. The company has said this barrier technology "eliminates plastic from single-use packaging." The coatings are reportedly biodegradable, recyclable, and free from toxins like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.

The coatings have been used across a wide range of paper substances and are undergoing further trials to expand their use across more industries. FoodNavigator previously reported that Papkot's food-grade material had the potential to serve as packaging for everything from frozen foods to fast foods.

Eco-friendly packaging alternatives are critical given the threat of plastic pollution to ecosystems and the human body.

Plastics don't biodegrade well, so large pieces that aren't properly disposed of or recycled can linger on the planet and trap or injure animals. Smaller pieces are called microplastics and nanoplastics — the material doesn't disappear, but it does break down into tiny pieces that, due to their size, can easily contaminate soil, water, and food systems.

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While research into the potential effects of microplastics and the toxins they contain is ongoing, exposure has been linked with serious health conditions, such as hormone disruption, reproductive health concerns, and cardiovascular problems. PFAS — also known as "forever chemicals" for their ability to stay in the body and environment — are commonly found in everyday items, including plastic food packaging, and have been linked with conditions such as hormone, liver, and thyroid issues.

Experts and policymakers around the world have worked to introduce various regulations on the use of plastics and PFAS. But consumers can also vote with their dollars and help to show that investments in plastic-free innovations should be a business priority.

For Papkot founder and CEO Manuel Milliery, it appears to be. Milliery stated in the release, "We have a mission to eliminate plastic from packaging and from our daily lives."

Fulvio Capussotti, chief sustainability officer at the Fedrigoni Group and executive vice president of Fedrigoni Special Papers, RFID and Innovation, said that Fedrigoni's environmental strategy "aims to have 100% of materials designed for optimal recyclability and end-of-life recovery" by 2030.

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Fedrigoni also recently announced a partnership with Amcor to produce a "wet wipe pack that is recycle-ready in its entirety," per Sustainable Packaging News.