Kemira, a Finnish sustainable chemical solutions provider for water-intensive industries, has entered into a strategic partnership with PA Consulting to develop new renewable barrier coatings technology.  

This innovation aims to transform the food packaging industry by offering sustainable alternatives. 

The collaboration builds on the recent contract manufacturing facility announced by Kemira and IFF, as part of their exclusive partnership. 

The facility will supply entry-level industrial-scale volumes for the strategic markets of Kemira. 

Meanwhile, the latest partnership focuses on introducing a polysaccharide-based renewable barrier coating to the market.  

This material reportedly boasts a strong sustainability profile, including recyclability and compostability, and provides excellent barrier properties for flexible food packaging applications.  

This technology utilises IFF's Designed Enzymatic Biomaterial (DEB) production platform, a biotechnology process that employs enzymatic polymerisation to create renewable polymers. 

Kemira Growth Accelerator senior vice-president Sampo Lahtinen said: "We are excited to partner with PA Consulting to further leverage the potential of this new, renewable polymer technology. Collaborating on this strategic initiative underscores our shared vision to lead the industry towards a more environmentally conscious and sustainable future." 

The new coating material offers a renewable and recyclable solution in challenging end-use applications and is designed to adapt to the current value chain infrastructure. 

PA Consulting technology and innovation expert David Russell said: "PA brings expert capabilities in commercialising material science technology and market strategy, and we look forward to working with Kemira on the development of innovative barrier coating technology for sustainable packaging." 

In May last year, Kemira divested the majority of its colourant dye business to US-based ChromaScape.