On July 7, the seats in the Barbillon Amphitheater at Grenoble INP – UGA were not occupied solely by students. Researchers, entrepreneurs, and industry professionals specializing in the field of packaging gathered to inaugurate the newly established 'Cellulose Valley”.
The chair, launched on November 1
La chaire, lancée le 1' is hosted by Grenoble INP – Pagora, UGA, an international school for paper, print communication, and biomaterials, and the Laboratory of Process Engineering for Biorefinery, Bio-based Materials, and Functional Printing (LGP2*).
It is supported by eight industrial partners, through corporate sponsorship: DS Smith Packaging France (manufacturer of sustainable packaging solutions), Ahlstrom Munksjö (nonwovens and specialty papers), the Groupe GUILLIN (manufacturer of responsible food packaging solutions), Citeo (a mission-driven company working to reduce the environmental impact of packaging and paper), Decathlon (production et conception de produits sportifs), Marie – Groupe LDC (French leader in fresh and frozen pre-packaged ready-to-eat meals), Chanel (global leader in the creation, development, manufacturing, and distribution of luxury goods), and AptarGroup (global leader in the design and manufacture of drug delivery solutions and consumer product dispensing systems).
With the support of partner companies, the researchers aim to develop new, high-performance, recyclable cellulose-based packaging, thereby offering sustainable packaging solutions for a sustainable world.
Julien Bras, holder of the Cellulose Valley Chair, professor at Grenoble INP – Pagora, and researcher at LGP2, is aware of the many challenges ahead but also highlights the advantages of cellulose: “If we’re looking for a material that is naturally derived, recyclable through existing systems, and biodegradable, only cellulosic materials meet all three of these criteria.”
Eight dedicated partners
“We wanted to join this initiative with a research team to make progress in both the short and long term,” explains Nicolas Tissier, vice president of Ahlstrom Munksjö in France, who presented spaghetti wrapped in transparent cellophane to the assembly. Vincent Renaudie of DS Smith aims to “eliminate the need for plastic film” at the bottom of the containers provided. “The packaging industry is undergoing major changes, and we have always kept pace with these changes since the company was founded 50 years ago,” confirms Franck Bournaud, director of the food service division at the GUILLIN Group. He naturally shares the same views as his colleague, Thierry Maucotel, Head of Innovation at the LDC Group, regarding the need for cellulose packaging, while also calling for “products that meet strict specifications and guarantee food safety equivalent to that of plastic packaging.”
For his part, Patrice Leone, Director of Material Science at AptarGroup, hopes that the Cellulose Valley Chair can help develop technically advanced and recyclable dispensing or closure systems for cellulose-based containers.
Julien Lambert of Decathlon also supports this effort to eliminate plastic packaging, especially single-use items, but he also notes the need to see the product when it is on sale. Jean-François Robert of Citeo adds that “the design of new packaging must first and foremost be based on identifying the specific needs of the product in question, rather than on the previous packaging solution.”
Luxury companies also have every reason to participate in this project. “We are convinced that the collaboration among all stakeholders involved in this multidisciplinary project will ultimately allow us to offer more eco-designed packaging and to push the boundaries of innovation through the use of cellulose,” comments CHANEL.
The challenges are many for Julien Bras and his team, but he is determined to find sustainable cellulose-based packaging solutions to promote the circular economy, “thanks to the support of partner companies representing the entire value chain in the sector.”
* Joint Research Unit (UMR 5518) involving the CNRS, Grenoble INP, and Agefpi
