Fedrigoni invests in Papkot to lead sustainable packaging

The Fedrigoni Group has acquired a minority stake in Papkot. This start-up developed a large-scale paper coating technology with the same properties as plastic by replacing silicon and cellulose with a nanostructured material that eliminates plastic from single-use packaging. 

Fedrigoni's deal is part of the corporate venture capital program that identifies industry-changing start-ups that are a proven, industrially scalable reality. Together, Fedrigoni and Papkot will accelerate the deployment of Papkot’s technology worldwide, ensuring major FMCG and F&B brands have access to high-performance, fully recyclable, fully biodegradable packaging materials at scale.

Founded in 2020 by Manuel Milliery, the CEO, Papkot is a developer of high-performance, plastic-free coatings. With research and development hubs in France and China and contract manufacturing partnerships in France, the US, and China, Papkot is serving leading global food and consumer goods brands. Papkot’s advanced barrier technology achieves high resistance to water, grease, oil, or even glycerol. Also, it provides properties such as transparency or other tailored surface properties, which are critical for packaging applications. All are fully recyclable and free from harmful substances like PFAS. Papkot coatings have been extensively validated across many 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 myriad, from disposable packaging and wrapping for food purposes, fire retardant or transparent paper to disposable cups. Papkot uses a model based on artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop tailored technology for customers, measure materials performance, and make faster, data-driven innovations.

'This investment has enormous potential for Fedrigoni,' confirmed Marco Nespolo, CEO of the Fedrigoni Group. 'We will have the opportunity to acquire disruptive technology in Plastic-to-Fiber that will allow us to increasingly support our customers in their efforts to develop mono-material and fully recyclable packaging. Furthermore, Fedrigoni will play a key role in accelerating the industrialization phase, which is essential for the scalability of the Papkot business model.'

'This advanced technology is synergistic with both Fedrigoni's specialty papers and self-adhesive materials businesses (in addition to barrier-coating, this technology makes it possible to replace the label liner, normally made of silicon, with a recyclable material),' commented Fulvio Capussotti, executive vice president of Fedrigoni Special Papers, RFID and innovation and chief sustainability officer at Fedrigoni Group. 'It also represents an accelerator in the Group's innovation processes and is consistent with our ESG strategy to 2030, which aims to have 100 percent of materials designed for optimal recyclability and end-of-life recovery.'

'From 2020, we have a mission to eliminate plastic from packaging and our daily lives. I welcome our new strategic investor and partner,' added Manuel Milliery, CEO of Papkot. 'With Fedrigoni, we are committed to sustainability, high standards, attention to detail and continuous improvement. The injection of new capital and the Group's global network will allow us to boost our international growth path and investment in research and development.'