The startup develops plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition technology to apply coatings on multi-material plastic containers, enabling their recyclability in sectors such as food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. This approach addresses the challenge of non-recyclable plastic packaging, providing clients with sustainable packaging solutions.
Funding
$3.8M raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
Multi-layer plastic packaging offers necessary barrier properties for various products but presents significant challenges for recyclability, hindering the transition to a circular economy. Existing barrier solutions like fluorination pose environmental concerns and are facing increasing regulatory scrutiny.
Solution
IonKraft provides a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) coating technology that enables 100% recyclability of plastic packaging without compromising barrier performance. Their coating system applies an ultra-thin layer of silicon-organic and silicon oxide to the inside of mono-material plastic containers, creating a strong barrier against gases and liquids comparable to multi-layer systems. This technology replaces non-recyclable multi-material containers and environmentally harmful fluorination, allowing for the use of non-food grade recyclate in food applications by protecting the filled goods from contaminants. IonKraft's coating is chemically inert and non-reactive, ensuring it does not interfere with conventional mechanical recycling processes.
Target Audience
IonKraft serves manufacturers in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, household chemicals, and industrial chemicals sectors seeking sustainable and recyclable packaging solutions.
Features
- Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technology for applying coatings on plastics
- Coating consists of a mixture of silicon-organic and silicon oxide layers
- Gas barrier performance comparable to multi-layer packaging with EVOH
- Solvent barrier performance comparable to fluorination
- Coating thickness of less than 100 nm, ensuring recyclability
- Coating applicable to common packaging plastics like PET and PE-HD
- Online process monitoring for quality control
- Modular reactor design for scalable production volume
- Coating recyclability approved by Recyclass