— By Plasteurope.com staff — 

Dutch chemicals group Avantium (Amsterdam; www.avantium.com) and Packamama (London; www.packamama.com) have signed a capacity reservation agreement covering future supplies of Avantium’s plant-based and recyclable polymer PEF, marketed as Releaf, for use in wine packaging.

Under the agreement, Packamama is to secure access to volumes of Releaf produced at licensed plants using Avantium’s YXY technology. The material is intended to be incorporated into Packamama’s wine bottles, which are designed to reduce emissions associated with traditional glass packaging through lighter weight, improved transport efficiency, and full recyclability.

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Packamama is known for its flat, shatterproof wine bottles, which, according to the company, are currently manufactured from 100% rPET. The firm states that these bottles have lower carbon emissions compared with glass and support circular use of materials in the wine sector. The planned introduction of Releaf represents a shift towards a plant-based polymer with a lower carbon footprint than conventional plastics, while also offering barrier properties intended to protect wine quality.

The companies said that the collaboration is supported by a grant of AUD 1 mn (around EUR 573,000) awarded to Packamama by the Australian government under the Business Research and Innovation Initiative. The funding is aimed at supporting efforts to decarbonise wine packaging in Australia and was backed by Avantium.