Pulpex x BASF x Scitech Adhesives - Coatings Collaboration

PULPEX was both the initial driving force as well as the focal point for the team end result with its role being to deliver its material science goal of being ‘the future of sustainable packaging’. It will - through partnership - make the UK a global leader in a new-to-world technology for fully recyclable and renewable feedstock-based paper bottles.

BASF helped Pulpex define the scope of the project and to identify chemistries which could fulfil the relevant needs of the product. We also partnered with a suitable formulator (Scitech) and worked together with other key stakeholders to coordinate and project manage the testing regimes and results.

SCITECH worked with BASF's functional polymers and additives to develop coatings for Pulpex’s pulp-moulded bottles. These coatings offer a dual function: protecting the pulp fibre of the bottle from the contents and shielding the contents from external factors like moisture or air. This barrier function is crucial for maintaining the integrity of both the packaging and the products it contains.

The team: There were many challenges in this project, but COVID was certainly one of the biggest! The first scoping meeting was held at the end of 2019; however, the whole team did not physically meet up again until 2021. The first two years of the project were, therefore, all conducted online.

But the project itself also presented a clear chemistry challenge: identifying barrier technology that was resistant to challenging liquids was a major technical hurdle, and the process of scaling up from flat sheet samples to coating a moulded bottle was equally difficult. Both the method and order of applying the coatings proved to be a critical step in obtaining the barrier performance required.

The team: Having complete transparency in a project like this is critical. Everyone has a part to play and as such, communication and collaboration are key. Only when there is full involvement of all participating companies can we be truly successful.

Furthermore, collaboration is essential to harnessing all the knowledge, expertise and resources which are rarely found in a single organisation. This collaborative approach fosters innovation, accelerates problem-solving and enhances the likelihood of achieving favourable outcomes.

The team: The world revolves around science – it's our past, present and future!

Chemical sciences play a critical role in developing technologies and processes that address issues such as climate change, pollution, energy production and storage, food and water security, healthcare and materials development.

These technologies have evolved incredibly fast to give our society some of the most amazing inventions.
We now have an obligation to use our scientific know-how to protect our planet for future generations.

If you would like an immensely rewarding and fulfilling career where the world is truly your oyster, then please consider any science. There is so much to explore and you really can make an incredible difference.