2020 Fall Packaging Series

Deadline: Fall of 2020

The Packaging Sprint Series will feature fast-tracked Innovation Challenges seeking innovative material solutions relevant to various applications and performance characteristics of packaging materials. The Packaging Sprints series targets strategic themes including sustainability, material innovation, and performance across a diversity of industries.

Innovations in fresh food packaging

On behalf of multiple international corporations, TechConnect is seeking innovations and emerging technologies from around the world describing new materials for use in fresh produce packaging applications. Currently, a significant amount of produce is wasted due to spoilage or early ripening. Extending produce shelf life has the potential to reduce food waste and improve the source-to-consumer value chain, passing significant cost savings on to consumer, retailers, and farmers. Submissions and novel concepts from individuals and organizations at all levels are strongly encouraged, including the academia, research, commercial and government sectors.

AREAS OF INTEREST

Our clients are broadly interested in any technologies that have the ability to impact the fresh produce / fresh food packaging sector. As such, TechConnect is calling for Entries describing any materials, products, processes, adjacent innovations or combinations thereof that can impact fresh food packaging.  Relevant areas of interest include, but are not limited to, materials, designs or alternative approaches for:

  • Packaging for ready-cut/ready-to-eat produce
  • Packaging that can increase shelf-life by delaying ripening/aging
  • Materials and designs to enhance physical protection or cushioning
  • Solutions that enable gas exchange to slow produce respiration
  • Solutions that manage or control microbial loads or enzymatic activity

Novel bio-sourced plastics for rigid packaging

On behalf of our global corporate partners, TechConnect is seeking innovations for bioplastics that can be used in rigid packaging, particularly where bio-sourced plastics are defined as plastics made from renewable raw materials. Our clients are actively scouting for solutions to meet aggressive goals for accelerating the adoption of bio-sourced plastics as part of their strategic sustainability initiatives. Submissions and novel concepts from individuals and organizations at all levels are invited, including the academia, research, commercial and government sectors.

Requirements

Solvers submitting an Entry should are encouraged to highlight key innovation areas in their Submission, with particular focus on (if applicable):

  • Source material (e.g. plant-based, fungi-derived, or animal-derived feedstocks)
  • Comparison of properties (e.g. durability, mechanical strength, etc.) compared to traditional plastics
  • Recyclability or reusability
  • Compostability or biodegradability under at-home conditions

Innovations in direct printing for plastics, polymers and packaging

In collaboration with a range of international companies, TechConnect is calling for innovations for direct printing onto plastic surfaces. Label-free packaging is a key element of many sustainability efforts in the consumer goods space, with wide-ranging applications for bottles, jars, bags and other containers. Direct printing offers numerous advantages over other commonly used technologies (such as shrink sleeves and wrap around labels) including elimination of waste, fewer inventory costs, simplified supply chain, and improved aesthetics.

Requirements

Solvers submitting an Entry should make efforts to address the following key focus areas in their Submission (if applicable):

  • Speed of printing method (as compared with current standards)
  • Applicability to varying surface shapes, sizes, textures, etc.
  • Adhesion and surface bonding properties
  • Improvements or innovations to surface treatments or after-treatments
  • Impact of treatments on handling, processing or filling of packaging
  • Sustainability of the process and impacts on recyclability/reusability

Novel moisture barrier technologies for packaging

In response to client needs across a range of industries, TechConnect Ventures is calling for innovations in moisture barrier technology that can be applied to rigid and/or flexible polymer packaging applications. Our clients have expressed interest in all solution types from conceptual materials to commercially viable innovations. Effective barrier materials are critical in any type of packaging in order to maintain quality and safety standard. Of particular interest are solutions with applications in packaging for the areas of consumer goods and medical/pharmaceuticals, but any innovation with strong potential throughout the packaging sector is of considerable interest.

Requirements

Solvers submitting an Entry should make efforts to address the following key focus areas in their Submission (if applicable):

  • Moisture vapor barrier performance relative to current standards
  • Any additional barrier properties (e.g. oxygen, other gases, etc.)
  • Packaging application (e.g. rigid vs. flexible, food vs. medical vs. consumer goods, etc)
  • Number of layers – single vs multiple
  • Sustainability of the solution (e.g. recyclability, biodegradability, compostability, etc.)
  • Transparency of the solution

Innovations in sustainable multilayer packaging technologies

On behalf of multiple international corporations, TechConnect is seeking responses from innovators around the world describing innovations in multilayer packaging. Multilayer packaging is widely used due to its ability to provide performance that cannot be replicated with a single polymer layer. These ultrathin laminate materials integrate multiple functionalities that combine strength, sealability, moisture and gas barrier properties, machinability, and more, while ultimately maximizing the shelf-life and quality of the products they contain. However most multilayer packages contain anywhere between 3-12 layers which are extremely difficult to separate, limiting their overall recyclability and resulting in “spent” packages being incinerated or landfilled.

Areas of Interest

TechConnect’s clients have a critical need to identify any solutions that can bring multilayer packaging materials in line with a more sustainable future supply chain. Relevant areas of interest include, but are not limited to, materials, designs or alternative approaches for:

  • Chemical recycling
  • Biodegradable/compostable materials for layers and adhesives
  • Maintaining functionality with reduced number of layers
  • Improved methods of delamination
  • Blending methods for recycling

Business Opportunity

All complete and eligible Entries will be included in our exclusive Innovation Opportunity Report that will be presented the innovation-seeking clients and partners. Solvers with well-matched capabilities may be contacted directly by consortium members to discuss potential partnership opportunities. Top-rated Entries may also be invited to register or participate in an upcoming TechConnect event or pitch program.

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