Green-tech company Melodea, Ltd., producer of sustainable barrier coatings for packaging, has launched VBseal™, its new sustainable packaging solution to cut back plastic waste in consumer-packaged goods.
The green coating solution is resistant to water vapor, oil, aroma and has heat-sealing properties. To further these efforts, the company has opened a pilot plant and innovation center, allowing it to serve its customers as well as to demonstrate the new solution. The new site will also test out existing barrier coating products and produce coated reels and pouches at pilot scale.
VBseal has exceptional resistance to water vapor and heat-sealing properties, all in one coating. It Joins Melodea’s existing eco-friendly barrier coating products, MelOx™ for oxygen and VBcoat™ for water vapor and oil and grease. The material is designed to line packaging of fresh foods, cereals, fast foods, confectionary such as biscuits and ice-cream as well as detergents and cosmetics.
It is fully recyclable, gives high performance protection, and in coating machines is a one-stop solution for both water vapor and heat sealing, avoiding the need for two different passes, making it easy to apply and reduces production costs. The VBseal is free of paraformaldehyde (PFA) and bisphenol A (BPA) and is FDA and BfR-compatible.
“Packaging producers have an urgent need for a sustainable barrier coating that has both water vapor protection and heat sealable properties and can replace the commonly used plastic PE layer,” explains Cee Azerraf, PhD, VP Sales & Marketing of Melodea. “Our R&D team worked on this new product joining our existing VBcoat and, as with all of our products, it was crucial that it be recyclable and easy to apply on existing coating lines.”
With the growing demand for sustainable packaging solutions, manufacturers are constantly evaluating emerging solutions at a scaled pilot. To that end, Melodea has opened its new pilot center and invested USDm500,000 in advanced equipment and analytics tools to support CPG companies and packaging producers in their efforts to meet sustainability goals in green packaging. The new center will serve companies across the packaging value chain in exploring sustainable barrier solutions in plastic, paper, and bioplastics.
“We offer our clients a location to evaluate their products using our eco-friendly solutions, with full control of the coating process,” Shaul Lapidot, PhD, CEO and co-founder of Melodea. “We can utilize Melodea’s R&D team’s vast know-how of coatings with optimizing barrier performance, and analyze the results on site, as well as help shorten time-to-market for new products and packages.”
Many of the world’s largest CPG companies have made public commitments that 100% of their packaging will be recyclable or reusable within the next 5-10 years, and so are moving away from single-use plastics. This timeline is being accelerated by public demand. “We are excited to work with producers of food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and agriculture products as well as packaging companies, at the new plant to help them to reach their goals,” adds Lapidot.
