Italian papermaker Fedrigoni has created the FedLab, an innovation hub to develop paper products that are an efficient alternative to plastics in terms of strength and their water repellent nature. The target is brands in cosmetics, luxury ecommerce and food and drink.
The concept was drawn up during the pandemic lockdowns last year. “We have used the hardship of the pandemic as an opportunity to refine our strategy for the future and we thank our entire ecosystem for partnering with us in this challenge. FedLab is a container of solutions created to make life easier for our customers, including industries where we do not operate directly, but where we are ready to offer ideas, projects and prototypes that others can then modify and make their own, always with a view to enhancing the value chain.”
The move follows the announcement of a jointly owned business with Tecnoform, which uses fibre to create box inlays as an alternative to plastic in luxury packaging.
The concept is that the FedLab will call on resources across the paper group and develop partnerships and collaborations with other companies and start ups. “FedLab is an incubator of ideas and innovation where we will be brainstorming for solutions that cater to customer needs and contribute to their green transition. In this hub we will make our specialty papers increasingly performing and at the same time sustainable”, says Micaela Di Trana, marketing and R&D VP of Fedrigoni Paper and head of the initiative.
“We are constantly looking for innovators, people who have identified a problem related to paper packaging and have come up with a compelling idea to solve it.”
The FedLab has already identified two technologies with the promise of wider applications. One is Icelite CleanCut, a material developed in collaboration with Easy Snap that is used in single-dosage liquid packaging and which can be opened with just one hand. Other is Splendorgel, a highly water resistant and completely recyclable paper developed for use as a tag, poster, signage, menus, plant labels and other products that have to function in high humidity environments.
The company has laid out ambitious targets in its sustainability report as part of the targets that have already helped Fedrigoni become recognised as gold status by sustainability performance ratings group EcoVadis.
