Avantium and Klöckner Pentaplast Advance PEF Food Packaging

Plant-based polymer PEF is moving closer to potential food-packaging applications as material developers and packaging manufacturers explore alternatives that combine barrier performance with renewable feedstocks.

According to Avantium, the company has signed a capacity reservation agreement with Klöckner Pentaplast (kp films) to explore its PEF polymer, releaf®, in thermoformed food packaging, including trays designed for fresh and prepared foods. The companies are also evaluating applications in flexible lidding films and flow-wrap structures requiring high barrier performance.

PEF is produced from FDCA, which Avantium manufactures using its YXY® technology to convert plant-based sugars into the building block for the polymer. According to Avantium, releaf® offers oxygen and carbon dioxide barrier properties that could help extend shelf life in selected applications while supporting efforts to reduce food waste.

For ASEAN food manufacturers, the technology could be relevant to products where shelf-life protection is critical, particularly fresh, prepared and convenience foods distributed across long and complex supply chains.

Samuel Pardo, Senior Innovations Manager at Klöckner Pentaplast, said: “At kp, we are continuously exploring innovative and emerging packaging materials that can help our customers meet their sustainability goals while maintaining the high performance required for food packaging applications. Releaf® combines renewable feedstock origins and barrier characteristics that make it an interesting option for evaluation in thermoformed food packaging applications. Through this agreement, we plan to continue assessing the material’s performance, processability and suitability as part of our broader innovation program.”

However, commercial adoption will depend on technical performance, regulatory requirements, economics, processing compatibility and availability at scale. Avantium says its FDCA flagship plant is progressing towards commercial deliveries expected at the end of 2026, subject to successful start-up and qualification.

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