Founded in 2020 by Manuel Milliery, who is also the CEO, Papkot is pioneering a proprietary coating platform offering an alternative to traditional plastic coatings and biopolymer barriers. The new coating gives packaging high protective properties (resistance to water, grease and oils or even glycerol) while being fully recyclable and biodegradable at industrial scale. This technology could enable the gradual elimination of plastic from single-use packaging.
Towards large-scale industrialization
“This deal has enormous potential for Fedrigoni. We will have the opportunity to acquire disruptive technology in the Plastic-to-Fiber that will allow us to increasingly support our customers in their efforts to develop mono-material and fully recyclable packaging,” said Marco Nespolo, CEO of the Fedrigoni Group.
The Italian group intends to play a key role in accelerating the industrialization phase, that is essential for the scalability of the French start-up’s business model. The goal is twofold: to drive global adoption of this technology—particularly to meet the demand from major food and consumer goods brands for monomaterial flexible packaging—and to extend its applications into new domains.
Papkot has research and development centers in France and China, and has established contract manufacturing partnerships in France, the United States and China, to serve several food and consumer goods brands.
Plastic free and biodegradable
The technology developed by Papkot is based on a nanostructured and fully recyclable material, which is also free from harmful substances like PFAS.
Papkot coatings have been extensively validated across a wide range of paper substrates, including virgin and recycled fibers. Ongoing industrial trials are further expanding compatibility to meet the diverse needs of converters and brand owners.
The applications that can be realized with this proprietary technology are diverse, from disposable packaging and wrapping for food purposes, to fire retardant or transparent papers, to disposable cups, among others.
Papkot uses a model based on artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop tailored solutions for customers, measure materials performance, and make faster, data-driven innovation.
“This advanced technology is synergistic with both Fedrigoni’s specialty papers and self-adhesive materials businesses, in addition to barrier-coating, this solution makes it possible to replace the label liner, normally made of silicon, with a totally recyclable material,” commented Fulvio Capussotti, Executive VP Fedrigoni Special Papers, RFID and Innovation & Chief Sustainability Officer at Fedrigoni Group.
