ISRAEL –Israeli supplier of sustainable coating products, Melodea has introduced MelOx NGen, a bio-based barrier coating that it says will boost food packaging recyclability.
The company says that MelOx NGen is specifically engineered to allow for the recyclability of plastic food packaging and beyond.
In addition to its excellent eco profile, the new barrier has proven superior in its key role of maintaining food freshness and substantially reducing plastic waste.
MelOx NGen is a water-based, plant-sourced coating designed to line the inside surface of numerous forms of plastic food packaging such as films, pouches, bags, lidding, and blister packs used to house CPG products and is currently being rolled out to the global plastic industry.
Approved by FDA and BfR as compatible with 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.
Melox NGen is a new iteration of Melodea’s award-winning bio-based and renewable material MelOx for paper packaging but designed specifically for use on plastic.
Used to line packaging as a transparent layer, it offers a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to petroleum-based Ethyl Vinyl Alcohol copolymers; – EVOH which are currently widely used in packaging for its food preservation properties as well met-PET plastic materials commonly used to produce lids.
Additionally, it could help expand the scope of plastic food packaging eligible for recycling. It can empower food packagers to fulfill their sustainability goals and align themselves with government regulations aimed at reducing the utilization of single-use plastics.
As a part of a long-term strategy for reducing plastic consumption and waste, the EU has implemented the Plastic Waste Directive.
This directive sets targets for the recycling and reuse of plastic packaging waste. It established a minimum recycling target of 50% for plastic packaging by 2025, increasing to 55% by 2030.
Moreover, in 2021 the EU approved a tax of €800 per tonne of non-recycled plastic containers and packaging produced in member states’ markets. The tax aims to incentivize the adoption of recycling practices and discourage the use of non-recyclable materials.
Shaul Lapidot, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Melodea concludes: “The global collective effort to drastically curb plastic use is a long and complex process.
“Our holistic solution can help ease the pressure by boosting the integration of plastic packaging into the circular economy, immediately.”
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