The European H2020 MyPack project aims to develop and research the best markets for the introduction of innovative sustainable food packaging solutions.
PIMM, whose expertise in materials and processes is widely recognized, seeks to promote micro-layer polymer extrusion technology at the European level.
Reducing the environmental footprint of packaging
TheH2020MyPack project, "Best markets for the exploitation of innovative sustainable food packaging solutions," which ran from 2017 to the end of 2021, aimed to establish guidelines for better integrating bio-based and/or biodegradable and recycled polymers into food packaging using new materials or technologies.
The aim of this project, with a budget of €4.8 million, including €150,000 for PIMM, is to maintain and improve the quality of food products by enhancing safety and reducing waste and the environmental footprint of packaging materials.
Observing layers with cutting-edge technologies
Among the 18 European partners involved in the project, Alain Guinault, research engineer and deputy director of PIMM, Lauriane Truffault, design engineer, and Anne Grandmontagne, technician at CNAM in the Polymers and Composites team, participated in the project on behalf of the PIMM laboratory.
The team used polymer micro-layer extrusion technology and atomic force microscopy to observe the layers. Thermal analyses were carried out to observe the effects on the materials. The main difficulty was conducting these tests with very little material, given that its cost was very high due to its development during the project (more than €1,000/kg).
Manufacturing films that are half as thick and recyclable
PIMM has validated a proof of concept for the manufacture of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) films commonly used in food packaging. Reels of extruded and biaxially stretched films have been produced. The addition of 7 to 10% by weight of PEF (polyethylene furanoate) using micro-coating technology made it possible to halve the thickness of the PET films while preserving their gas barrier and mechanical properties despite the fragility of PEF, and at the same time making them recyclable.
Continue research on the micro-layer extrusion process
The PIMM "Polymers and Composites" research team is currently working on understanding the mechanisms behind the improvement of the mechanical properties of films in relation to the micro-layer extrusion process.
Thanks to DIMMaTerRE, one of nine Major Research and Innovation Domains (DIM) certified by the Ile-de-France Region for the period 2022-2026, a postdoctoral fellowship has been funded to study this scientific question.
