Nfinite secures funding for paper packaging solution

Nfinite, Waterloo, Ontario-based developer of plastic-alternative nanocoatings, has received advisory services and funding of up to CAD$3.8 million ($2.8 million) from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP).  

The company says this support will enable it to scale up its thin film deposition platform from the lab and into commercialization, specifically for the packaging industry. 

“Using our proprietary atmospheric pressure spatial atomic layer deposition (AP-SALD) system, Nfinite has demonstrated novel barrier performance on paper,” says Nfinite CEO Miguel Galvez. “A paper solution that has the same shelf-life barrier performance as metallized plastic has the potential to eliminate plastic from the flexible packaging industry." 

Citing research saying "flexible" packaging is currently a $270 billion dollar market, the company says paper-based alternatives give large consumer packaged goods (CPGs) companies more packaging choices in formats and materials that attract consumers and meet their sustainability goals, while still achieving performance and product shelf-life requirements. 

As part of the grant, Nfinite will collaborate with three commercial partners: Amcor, PepsiCo and Unilever. The company says the NRC IRAP funding will continue for 3 years and will assist Nfinite in deploying its pilot production plant in Waterloo, Ontario. It will also help the company finalize its first industrial production facility, which the company expects to produce tens of millions of square meters of high barrier paper annually. 

"Nfinite is thrilled to have been awarded this funding from NRC IRAP," Galvez says. "We are also grateful to all our commercial partners for believing in our mission to eliminate single-use plastic flexible packaging and enable a more sustainable and circular future."