Nestle Teams Up With Industrial Partners To Sponsor Bioplastic Research
Published:22-June-2009
By Staff Reporter
To study the properties of polymers derived from renewable resources, as well as their industrial application
Nestle is going to team up with diverse industrial partners to sponsor research in bioplastics at the Ecole des Mines in Paris. Nestle is reportedly going to sponsor E60000 per year for 5 years in this research.
Nestle is co-funding a Chair in Bioplastics at Ecole des Mines de Paris, which includes 6 PhD theses. Other industrial partners that are funding this Chair are Schneider Electric, PSA, Arkema and L’Oreal.
This research programme is expected to study the properties of polymers derived from renewable resources, as well as their industrial application. The new Chair was launched at Ecole des Mines on Thursday 18 June 2009.
Nestle said packaging materials derived from renewable resources like bioplastics is one way of reducing the environmental impact of its products. This new research programme complements Nestle’s existing partnerships with material suppliers.
Nestle said it has already introduced bioplastic materials in selected products used in flexible sachets and pouches in India and some other countries in Asia in applications such as Maggi noodles, soups and sauces and Kit Kat. This material is a breakthrough as the PET film is also 15% thinner than the worldwide standard of 12 microns, claimed Nestle.
The company said, the introduction of other bioplastic materials is continuing whenever they meet Nestle’s standards of quality and safety to protect the product and where there is an environmental benefit.
Anne Roulin, head of global packaging of Nestle, said: “We consider that this is the beginning of a new era of Bioplastics. Today we are just at the start of a long journey in research and development, and a lot more scientific and technical work is required before we have materials that are truly adapted to food packaging needs and can be used on a large scale.”
