EU to invest millions in project to develop sustainable packaging

Issue date: 03.09.08

The EU is to invest EUR6.5m (£5.2m) in a project to develop sustainable and renewable packaging materials using nanotechnology.

The four-year SustainComp project involves 17 European organisations, including packaging material manufacturers Alcan, SCA and Novamont, plus chemical companies and associations. All participants will put research money into the project to take the total budget to €9.5m.

Swedish R&D firm STFI-Packforsk is acting as project co-ordinator.

SustainComp aims to develop sustainable nanostructured wood-based biocomposite materials for packaging and transportation to replace oil-based products.

STFI-Packforsk project manager and co-ordinator for SustainComp, Mikael Ankerfors, said: "The goal for this project is to be able to make nanocomposites in pilot scale. We believe this will be possible towards the end of this project."

He added that such products would "open new possible business areas for the European forest-based industry".

SCA's research director Folke Österberg said sustainability was high on the firm's agenda and he expected SustainComp would find "new renewable cost-effective materials that can be implemented in existing manufacturing organisations".

Novamont strategic projects manager Cecilia Giardi said the project could result in the development of composite products that improved the performance of and increased applications for both biodegradable and wood-based products.

The first meeting of the SustainComp partners takes place in Stockholm on 1-3 September.

Ankerfors said project teams will then meet several times a year and at least two open conferences will be organised.