Avantium and Klöckner Pentaplast reserve PEF capacity for thermoformed food packaging
- Avantium and Klöckner Pentaplast signed a capacity reservation agreement to explore releaf® (PEF) in thermoformed food packaging, including trays for fresh and prepared foods.
- Releaf® is a plant-based PEF produced from FDCA with high oxygen and CO2 barrier properties and a lower carbon footprint than conventional plastics.
- kp’s reservation grants potential access to future volumes from industrial-scale plants to be built and operated by licensees, subject to technical, regulatory and commercial approval.
- The agreement supports ongoing evaluations of performance, processability, recyclability and potential use in flexible lidding and flow-wrap structures.
Deal overview
Avantium signed a capacity reservation agreement with Klöckner Pentaplast to explore the use of Avantium’s plant-based polymer PEF, branded releaf®, in thermoformed food packaging applications such as food trays and other packaging for fresh and prepared foods.
Material characteristics
Releaf® is produced from FDCA and offers high oxygen and carbon dioxide barrier properties that can extend shelf life in selected rigid packaging applications. The material is also being evaluated for flexible lidding films and flow-wrap structures, and it has a lower carbon footprint that can support sustainability goals and potentially enable recyclable packaging structures as an alternative to hard-to-recycle multi-layer trays.
Capacity reservation and next steps
kp’s agreement secures prospective access to future volumes of releaf® from prospective industrial-scale plants to be built and operated by licensees using Avantium’s technology. The reservation facilitates ongoing evaluation activities and potential future supply, contingent on the material meeting technical, regulatory and commercial requirements.
Strategic context
The deal aligns with Avantium’s strategy to establish a global network of licensed PEF production facilities and signals growing market interest in PEF for thermoformed food packaging, where barrier performance, recyclability and renewable origin are cited as key value drivers.
Source: Avantium
