07.12.23
Melodea, following the launch last year of a cellulose-based food packaging, has announced the launch of MelOx NGen, a high-performance barrier product which is designed to allow the recyclability of plastic food packaging and beyond.
The new barrier is designed to maintain food freshness and sustainably reduce plastic waste. MelOx NGen is a water-based, plant-sourced coating designed to line the inside surface of packaging such as films, pouches, bags, lidding, and blister packs used to house CPG products, and will be rolled out globally.
The packaging has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) as compatible for food contact, and can protect and extend the shelf life of foods such as snacks, confectionary, nutrition bars, meats, dairy, and pharmaceuticals.
MelOx NGen is a new iteration of the company’s MelOx for paper packaging, but is designed specifically for use on plastic as an alternative to petroleum-based ethyl vinyl alcohol copolymers (EVOH) which are widely used in food packaging and lids. Comparatively, MelOx NGen can expand the scope of plastic food packaging eligible for recycling. It can help manufacturers to fulfill their sustainability goals and align themselves with government regulations aimed at reducing single-use plastics.
“The global collective effort to drastically curb plastic use is a long and complex process,” said Shaul Lapidot, PhD, CEO and co-founder of Melodea. “Our holistic solution can help ease the pressure by boosting the integration of plastic packaging into the circular economy, immediately.”
“The majority of plastic packaging available today cannot be recycled due to its multi-structure composition,” said Cee Azerraf, PhD, VP of sales and marketing of Melodea.“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.”
Melodea noted that the past few years have seen a significant increase in demand and an accompanying price spike in EVOH, where prices climbed from $5.5 per kilogram in 2019 to a range of $11 to $14 at the end of 2022.
“Melox NGen can be effortlessly applied as a thin layer directly to the plastic without the need for primers,” Azerraf said.
The new barrier is designed to maintain food freshness and sustainably reduce plastic waste. MelOx NGen is a water-based, plant-sourced coating designed to line the inside surface of packaging such as films, pouches, bags, lidding, and blister packs used to house CPG products, and will be rolled out globally.
The packaging has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) as compatible for food contact, and can protect and extend the shelf life of foods such as snacks, confectionary, nutrition bars, meats, dairy, and pharmaceuticals.
MelOx NGen is a new iteration of the company’s MelOx for paper packaging, but is designed specifically for use on plastic as an alternative to petroleum-based ethyl vinyl alcohol copolymers (EVOH) which are widely used in food packaging and lids. Comparatively, MelOx NGen can expand the scope of plastic food packaging eligible for recycling. It can help manufacturers to fulfill their sustainability goals and align themselves with government regulations aimed at reducing single-use plastics.
“The global collective effort to drastically curb plastic use is a long and complex process,” said Shaul Lapidot, PhD, CEO and co-founder of Melodea. “Our holistic solution can help ease the pressure by boosting the integration of plastic packaging into the circular economy, immediately.”
“The majority of plastic packaging available today cannot be recycled due to its multi-structure composition,” said Cee Azerraf, PhD, VP of sales and marketing of Melodea.“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.”
Melodea noted that the past few years have seen a significant increase in demand and an accompanying price spike in EVOH, where prices climbed from $5.5 per kilogram in 2019 to a range of $11 to $14 at the end of 2022.
“Melox NGen can be effortlessly applied as a thin layer directly to the plastic without the need for primers,” Azerraf said.