Laboratory of Printable Protective Package – Lab3P

In the growing area of packaging, the joint laboratory Lab3P - Laboratory of Printable Protective Package, offers to build up a research programme targeting to set up innovative aqueous varnishes, which will be customised for thin and flexible supports. The objective is to provide new ECO solutions throughout innovative concepts enabling to control migration of water and oxygen into thin packagings for perishable goods. The new solutions from biomaterials should limit water and oxygen transfer while enabling expected sealability, and so reducing the weight and volume of the covering layers. The innovative varnishes will comply with ecological and environmental challenges for a sustainable use of ressources.
The partnership between the Centre Technique de l'industrie des Papiers, cartons et celluloses - CTP and the Malengé SME would enable to upgrade existing scientific blocks in other application fields or even at the fundamental stage to the specific parameters of the targeted application. Moreover, the developed varnishes will have to fit with existing process in terms of technical performance and application on industrial equipments. The scientific and technical challenge will be to overcome several blocking points in terms of barrier performance with aqueous and thin layers, but also following the technical constraints of flexographic printing. In fact, the final objective is to be able with industrial means to lay down thin, regular and performing film under an heterogeneous and flexible support. The impacts in the field of packaging will be significant for the environment when reducing the thickness and weight of materials of at least 38%, including a full recycling loop with aluminium removal. Furthermore, this new concept will enable to gain in material quantity used because the varnishes will be deposited on demand by the printers following the packaging design. The technical and economical parameters will be integrated into the research activities with the effective expected cost in order to reach the markets.
The research programme will leverage the CTP expertise to the highest levels of biomaterials formulations ready to be adapted to diverse conditions. The Malengé SME plans to develop a new series of products including environmental claims in order to gain in know-how and to effectively upgrade its turn-over at the European scale 5 years after the project ending. The proximity and technological complementarity of both partners will be the drivers of this academic-industrial collaboration which will last after the Lab3P project. The partners are already projecting to reinforce their links with additional activities for product validation, but also with new developments of innovative products in the food sector or other domains such as the luxury, which is one of the excellence areas of France.