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An Innovation Snapshot from The Packaging Conference

The Packaging Conference features discussions on new packaging technologies, with sessions on bioplastics, digital can printing, and a circular solution for all plastics, among others.

Bineke Posthumus, director of business development for Avantium
Bineke Posthumus, director of business development for Avantium

Over its 17 year history, The Packaging Conference has gained a reputation for highlighting technologies and trends in the packaging industry. While material-agnostic, the event traditionally leans toward plastic, the largest and most dynamic packaging material category. This year’s event, running from Feb. 12-14 in Austin, Tex., has so far been true to form in terms of content.

Just as the industry is constantly changing, so too does the focus of The Packaging Conference with every new edition. This year is squarely focused on sustainability, with a heavy emphasis on reducing a package’s carbon footprint and technologies that allow for more efficient recycling. This is particularly important now, as material suppliers and brands grapple with the implications of impending extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation.

Following is an overview of a few of the packaging innovations—some emerging and some fairly well developed—discussed at the event:

·     In her presentation, “Turning Plants into Plastics to Defossilize our Everyday Products,” Bineke Posthumus, director of business development for Avantium, discussed the company’s 100% plant-based PEF, or polyethylene furanoate, technology. PEF is a biopolymer made from first-generation feedstocks, or agricultural crops, that can be used as a replacement for PET.

Img 2717The material is a drop-in biopolymer, meaning it fits into existing manufacturing systems and is recyclable. According to Posthumus, it also has some superior technical properties to PET, including a superior barrier. She added, “When it’s produced at scale, it’s cost competitive with fossil-based materials.” An LCA of Avantium’s PEF product shows a reduced carbon footprint of 60% versus virgin PET. Avantium is currently finishing construction on a 5 kiloton/year plant with a long-term vision to construct a 250-plus kiloton/year facility.

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