A European consortium of 12 entities is partnering in the “HyperBioCoat” project to investigate and develop a bio-based and biodegradable coating for rigid and flexible plastic packaging. The consortium is composed of research and development organisations and companies and operates under the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI, Brussels / Belgium; www.bbi-europe.eu), a EUR 3.7 bn public-private partnership between the EU and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (Brussels; www.biconsortium.eu).

The coating, to be applied to bio-based plastic packaging, will improve barrier properties, increasing the shelf life of packaged fresh food and contributing to a reduction of CO₂ emissions, as all of the precursors needed for lacquer synthesis will be based on renewable materials. The project, coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute ISC (Würzburg / Germany; www.isc.fraunhofer.de), has received funding from BBI under the European Union’s "Horizon 2020" research and innovation programme.

Stefan Hanstein, coordinator of the project, said, “The challenge of this project is to impart superior barrier properties to biodegradable packaging materials. This innovation will be carried out by combining the high-performance “Ormocer” concept (see Plasteurope.com of 12.01.2015) with oligomeric hemicellulose feedstock. The result will have an impact on the demand of the packaging industry for biodegradable and bio-based packaging materials.”