Avantium Technologies BV, a company focused on renewable and circular polymer materials, has joined a partnership with Amcor Rigid Packaging USA LLC to support the adoption of Avantium's plant-based polymer polyethylene furanoate (PEF) in rigid containers.
The resin, branded as Releaf, has a longer shelf life than conventional PET and has greater mechanical strength, allowing for thinner packaging. Releaf is 100 percent plant-based and can be recycled with PET containers.
Amsterdam-based Avantium wants to create new rigid containers for products in the food and beverage, pharmaceutical, home and personal care industries. The partnership will also support Amcor's 2050 net-zero goal.
"This partnership between Amcor and Avantium represents a significant step forward in advancing responsible packaging solutions," said Terry Patcheak, Amcor's vice president of research and development and program management excellence. "It combines Amcor's expertise in innovative packaging with Avantium's renewable and circular polymer Releaf. This partnership enhances our efforts to offer customers innovative, packaging that is better for products, people and the planet."
Amcor has also committed to a multi-year capacity reservation for PEF, based on a technology license from Avantium for an industrial-scale facility. This agreement will guarantee Amcor preferred access to PEF produced by Avantium.
"This collaboration with Amcor underscores the increasing demand for releaf in sustainable packaging solutions and supports our strategy for licensing our FDCA technology," said Bineke Posthumus, commercial director of Avantium. "We are excited to work with Amcor to bring Releaf to the market, providing consumers with high-performance, eco-friendly packaging solutions."
To create PEF, Avantium has developed a proprietary process technology to create the key aspect of PEF, furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). The company is currently starting the world's first commercial FDCA plant in Delfzijl, the Netherlands.
Having the facility in the Netherlands will allow Avantium to sell FDCA and PEF directly to customers through its licensing strategy. With the partnership with Amcor and the two companies' capacity reservation agreement, Avantium will be able to meet demand more effectively.
Amcor is No. 1 in Plastics News' ranking of North American blow molders with an estimated $3.5 billion in sales in the region.