ISRAEL | W-Cycle, Ltd., an innovator in sustainable food packaging, and Melhoramentos, a publicly traded Brazilian company, announced a strategic partnership.
The agreement, valued at a minimum of USD 3.45 million and set for an initial term of three years, will involve W-Cycle supplying Melhoramentos Latin America with its proprietary food-grade packaging formula and consulting services.
These resources will help Melhoramentos produce its new advanced biodegradable packaging. The company has aimed to produce compostable packaging from renewable materials that naturally decompose within 100 days.
"There has long been a global demand for more sustainable packaging solutions," said Rafael Gibini, CEO of Melhoramentos.
"Our collaboration with W-Cycle opens the door to a new and inspiring use for our cellulose-based natural resources. Together, we're ushering in a new era that could eventually phase out single-use plastic packaging and pave the way for a more sustainable future."
Melhoramentos will also incorporate its own high-performance cellulose fibres sourced from its extensive renewable forestry operations, which cover more than 80 million square meters.
Responding to growing demand within the food industry for sustainable alternatives, Melhoramentos has taken strides to offer grease-resistant, moisture-proof, and extreme-temperature-resistant packaging as an efficient, eco-friendly replacement for single-use plastics.
“Partnering with such a renowned industry leader is a pivotal moment in our journey,” said Isaac Rome, CEO of W-Cycle.
“It will open up many opportunities for both companies to deliver impactful, high-end, affordable packaging solutions by blending expertise and creativity.”
The clean-tech start-up W-cycle made a breakthrough in greener food packaging with its patented food-grade SupraPulp material. SupraPulp comprised a line of formulas that cleverly combines sugarcane waste (bagasse) or other sidestreams, such as eucalyptus wood fibres and banana leaves, with additives to produce moulded fibre packaging.
This material has been transformed into a new generation of highly functional food trays that contain frozen and heated foods. The moulded-fibre containers are impervious to oil and water and need no plastic lamination for barriers.
SupraPulp trays can withstand frozen food and juice runoff without leakage through the container. They are designed to withstand temperatures ranging from -40° freezing to 220°C heat, and they are compostable.
”Our ecological packaging formulations help food packaging manufacturers break away from plastic PET materials, allowing them to create robust containers suitable for freezer-to-oven/microwave convenience,” added Rome.
“The added game-changer of using SupraPulp trays is that they can be tossed away guilt-free: The material will decompose, reintegrating back into the earth from which it originated within roughly 100 days.”
Plastic can take hundreds of years to decompose. According to the United Nations Environment Program, approximately 400 million tons of plastic waste is generated annually. Only a tiny fraction is recycled. The vast majority ends up in landfills or gets dumped into the ocean, causing havoc to marine life and the human body.
W-cycle’s SupraPulp containers are already helping catering companies, ready-meal producers, in-flight caterers, institutions, food takeaway services, and multinational food companies sever ties to plastic containers.
As part of the partnership, W-cycle will tailor pulp formulations for Melhoramentos and provide R&D support in moulded fibre production. This includes testing different formulations and their compatibility with various fibres, including those produced by Melhoramentos through its forest cultivation operations.
“As pioneers in ecological food packaging, W-cycle brings extensive expertise in moulded fibre properties, complementary materials, and their performance under different conditions, along with a deep understanding of manufacturing processes and equipment needs,” added Gibini.
“This will be instrumental in helping us design food packaging options that are high-performing, cost-effective, and can work in harmony with the environment.”
