Melodea introduces coating to promote plastic food packaging recyclability
Melodea, a leading sustainable barrier coatings producer for packaging, has introduced a new product specifically engineered to allow the recyclability of plastic food packaging.
MelOx NGen is a water-based, plant-sourced coating designed to line the inside surface of plastic food packaging such as films, pouches, bags, lidding, and blister packs, according to a news release. Currently being rolled out to the global plastic industry, the coating is approved by the Food and Drug Administration and Germany’s BfR as compatible for food contact.
The coating helps protect and extend the shelf-life of foods such as snacks, confectionary, nutrition bars, meats, and dairy products as well as pharmaceuticals, the company said.
MelOx NGen is a new iteration of Melodea’s award-winning bio-based and renewable material MelOx for paper packaging designed specifically for use on plastic.
“The majority of plastic packaging available today cannot be recycled due to its multi-structure composition,” Cee Azerraf, vice president of sales and marketing for Melodea, said in the release. “EVOH, which is typically infused into the thin plastic films of the food packaging to serve as an oxygen barrier, is non-recyclable, preventing the entire package from being recyclable. MelOx NGen presents an eco-friendly and cost-effective solution by being applicable to various forms of plastics, including monostructure plastics that possess exceptional performance properties and are recyclable. Our solution will also relieve the current bottleneck in the supply of EVOH.”
MelOx NGen can help meet targets set in the EU’s Plastic Waste Directive, which established a minimum recycling target of 50% for plastic packaging by 2025, according to the release.
“The global collective effort to drastically curb plastic use is a long and complex process,” Shaul Lapidot, CEO and co-founder of Melodea, said. “Our holistic solution can help ease the pressure by boosting the integration of plastic packaging into the circular economy, immediately.”
The product has been selected as a finalist in Packaging Europe’s Sustainability Awards 2023 within the sustainability in packaging category.
