Eurobrillance, Plastigraf Trevigiana, NatureWorks, and Form iQ have collaborated to develop an innovative biobased paperboard packaging solution that combines grease resistance, barrier performance, and heat sealability for demanding food packaging applications.
At the center of the collaboration is CellShield® Protopia™, a barrier technology developed by Eurobrillance and Plastigraf Trevigiana using NatureWorks’ Ingeo™ biopolymer technology. By bringing together expertise in renewable materials, coating and lamination technologies, and industrial thermoforming, the companies have demonstrated a complete value chain approach to developing high-performance fiber-based packaging.
Two Technologies, Flexible Packaging Solutions
CellShield Protopia offers two approaches to barrier performance: lamination and dispersion coating. Both technologies utilize Ingeo biopolymers derived from renewable resources and are designed to address a range of packaging performance and end-of-life requirements.
The lamination approach combines very thin, biobased BOPLA films with paperboard using a compostable water-based adhesive. These very thin films provide heat-sealing capabilities and support additional barrier protection while reducing material use, making them well-suited for applications such as thermoformed trays and food packaging.
The dispersion coating approach uses a water-based coating made with Ingeo biopolymers to provide barrier protection for paper and paperboard. Applied in thin layers using existing coating equipment, it offers a lightweight, scalable solution for frozen food packaging and products with shorter shelf lives.
Together, these technologies provide flexibility across rigid and flexible packaging applications while supporting the development of recyclable and compostable packaging solutions.
Collaboration from Material Development to Finished Packaging
The collaboration brings together expertise across the packaging value chain, combining Eurobrillance and Plastigraf Trevigiana’s coating and lamination technologies, NatureWorks’ renewable Ingeo biopolymers, and Form iQ’s thermoforming and industrial processing expertise.
The companies have demonstrated how these technologies can be used to produce thermoformed paperboard trays while maintaining the barrier performance and production efficiency required for industrial applications.
During forming trials, the team achieved production speeds comparable to conventional PET-laminated paperboard, with forming times of approximately 0.2 seconds and an average of 27 mold-closing cycles per minute for 35 mm-deep containers.
These results demonstrate the value of developing materials and manufacturing processes together, helping bridge the gap between material innovation and practical packaging applications.
