Founded in 2020 by CEO Manuel Milliery, Papkot claims to have developed the first scalable coating technology that gives paper the same surface properties as plastic, by replacing silicon and cellulose into a nanostructured material that eliminates plastic from single-use packaging.
The deal, which Fedrigoni announced on Thursday (27 February), is part of the group’s corporate venture capital program launched to identify cutting-edge start-ups to accelerate its innovation process, acquire new technologies, and help customers on their sustainability journey.
Papkot’s coating platform delivers “high-barrier, fully recyclable and fully biodegradable fibre-based solutions” at industrial scale.
“Its breakthrough materials science approach ensures compatibility with existing paper and packaging manufacturing processes, making it a superior alternative to conventional plastic coatings and biopolymer-based barriers aimed at eliminating plastic from single-use packaging,” Fedrigoni stated.
Marco Nespolo, CEO of The Fedrigoni Group, said: “This deal has enormous potential for Fedrigoni. We will have the opportunity to acquire disruptive technology in plastic-to-fibre, allowing us to increasingly support our customers in their efforts to develop mono-material and fully recyclable packaging.
“Fedrigoni will play a key role in accelerating the industrialisation phase, which is essential for the scalability of the Papkot business model.”
With research and development hubs in France and China and contract manufacturing partnerships in France, the US, and China, Papkot is already serving major global food and consumer goods brands.
Its advanced barrier technology achieves high resistance to water, grease, oil, or glycerol, and also provides properties such as transparency or other tailored surface properties, which are critical for packaging applications. All are fully recyclable and free from harmful substances like PFAS.
Papkot said its coatings have been extensively validated across a wide range of paper substrates, including virgin and recycled fibres.
Ongoing industrial trials are further expanding compatibility to meet the needs of converters and brand owners. Current applications include disposable packaging and wrapping for food purposes, fire retardant, or transparent paper to disposable cups.
Papkot said it uses a model based on AI and machine learning to develop “tailored solutions” for customers, measure materials performance, and make faster, data-driven innovations.
Milliery commented: “From 2020, we have a mission to eliminate plastic from packaging and from our daily lives. I welcome our new strategic investor and partner.
”With Fedrigoni, we are committed to sustainability, high standards, attention to detail and continuous improvement. The injection of new capital and the group’s global network will allow us to boost our international growth path and investment in research and development.”
