Amcor Lift-off Challenges

Background
Amcor Lift-Off is a program designed to foster technical collaborations with start-ups whose solutions address specific Amcor R&D challenges. Innovative companies are invited to apply and, if successful, will be invited to a virtual pitching event to present their technology to a team of R&D for a chance to work together with Amcor and bring their technology to the next level. Potential investment in the start-up can also be explored at a later stage.

For this edition, we will be focusing on three specific challenges:
• Home compostable adhesives
• High performance compostable OTR barriers
• Nature based barrier additives for film formulation

The Amcor Lift-Off program will proceed in three phases:
• Applications will be open online until December 12th 2025 (23:59 CET)
• Screening and feedback will occur until December 19th 2025
• Pitching day will be January 13th 2026 (online)

Incorporated companies from around the world can apply for free, regardless of whether they have raised funds before, as long as their TRL is above 5.

Challenges
Amcor Flexibles is a leading producer of flexible packaging solutions for food, beverage, healthcare, and home/personal care markets. With a substantial presence globally, Amcor Flexibles utilizes various materials and processes to produce high barrier sustainable packaging.

Amcor Flexibles is exploring a variety of materials for a new generation of fully recyclable and home compostable packaging solutions. Our focus is primarily on fiber-based materials (e.g., paper) representing at least 80% of the final structure and the remaining 20% providing functionality in the form of coatings, extrudates or films, but a large number of R&D projects are also being conducted on other compostable materials, such as PBAT (polybutylene adipate terephthalate), PBS (polybutylene succinate), PCL (polycaprolactone), and PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoates). Our goal is to protect package contents from the outside environment while ensuring sustainability remains central to our packaging solutions.

Unfortunately, many of these new compostable materials lack various properties required to meet the targeted shelf life for our products. Conventional solutions limit the compatibility with recycling streams or at-home compostability.

Amcor Flexibles is committed to addressing these challenges and looking for cooperation with external companies on three main topics of interest for the current Amcor Lift-Off call (listed below).

What we can offer you
The Amcor Lift-Off program is tailored to early-stage and growth start-ups (TRL 5+). Through targeted calls based on our current R&D we aim to provide innovative companies with support and the chance to work with Amcor’s R&D on innovative ongoing projects. An equity investment (up to 500k US$) can also be discussed separately, if there is a strong strategic fit.

We are seeking home compostable adhesives (incl. lamination, cold seal, pressure sensitive adhesives, other) for flexible packaging applications.

Must have:
• Home compostability certification, or supported by laboratory statement of compliance with composting standards (e.g. EN 13432, TUV OK compost Home)
• Maximum quantity applied <5 gsm dry
• Bond strength of at least 1.5 N/15 mm
• Designed to bond on paper and/or other compostable substrates (e.g. PLA, PBAT, PBS, etc.)
• If applied on paper: the material should not influence negatively the repulping of the final structure; according to CEPI or WMU method
• Not moisture sensitive: bond performance should hold in tropical environment
• Capability of receiving regulatory approvals for FDA food contact and equivalent international certifications
• TRL 5+ (beyond lab scale only)

Nice to have:
• Materials available at a scale with potential for commercial launch (starting with 20-50kT/year for extrusion coatings, ability to coat at least 10m sqm/year)
• Cost competitive
• Maximum quantity applied <3 gsm dry
• Application via gravure in conventional lacquering line
• Low film forming temperature

What's out of scope:
• Materials containing bisphenol A (BPA), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), tris(4-methylphenyl) phosphate (TMPP) or other substances of very high concern
• Solutions not compatible with existing paper recycling streams or at-home compostability
• Materials subject to other restrictions (e.g., included on official negative lists)

We are seeking solutions that provide high performance OTR barrier, for flexible paper packaging substrates.

Must have:
• OTR < 0.5 (cc/m²/day) [23°C 50% rH]
• Maximum thickness 10 gsm dry, preferably <5gsm
• Applicable via dispersion coating application method
• Excluding water sensitive materials (e.g. PVOH)
• High solids content (>25%) with viscosity for application via rotogravure
• Capability of receiving regulatory approvals for FDA food contact and equivalent international certifications
• Resistance to flex crack
• TRL 5+ (beyond lab scale only)

Nice to have:
• Home compostable material and/or based on a natural product, not falling under plastic regulations (e.g. PPWR)
• Cost competitive
• Effective barrier against mineral oil hydrocarbons (saturated: MOSH and/or aromatic: MOAH)
• Materials available at a scale with potential for commercial launch (starting with 20-50kT/year for extrusion coatings, ability to coat at least 10m sqm/year)

What's out of scope:
• Materials containing bisphenol A (BPA), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), tris(4-methylphenyl) phosphate (TMPP) or other substances of very high concern
• Solutions not compatible with existing paper recycling streams or at-home compostability
• Materials subject to other restrictions (e.g., included on official negative lists)
• Note that for moisture barrier we are focusing on water vapor barrier (MVTR / WVTR) and not on liquid water resistance (water holdout droplet tests)

We are seeking home compostable additives to be added to a matrix (for wet coatings or extrudable resins) for flexible packaging applications. Performance improvement include oxygen and moisture barrier and grease resistance of the compostable matrix.

Must have:
• Improvement of barrier at least x10 vs. reference
• Compliant or proof of potential compliancy with home composting standard (ecotoxicity; biodegradability; analytical characterization, disintegration)
• Capability of receiving regulatory approvals for FDA food contact and equivalent international certifications
• TRL 5+ (beyond lab scale only)

Nice to have:
• Based on a natural product, preferably not falling under plastic regulations (e.g. PPWR). Examples include products deriving from the forestry industry (Rosin, wood flour, etc.). Not influencing negatively disintegration, not on negative list for composting criteria (i.e. not considered as plastic)
• Materials available at a scale with potential for commercial launch (starting with 20-50kT/year for extrusion coatings, ability to coat at least 10m sqm/year)

What's out of scope:
• Materials containing bisphenol A (BPA), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), tris(4-methylphenyl) phosphate (TMPP) or other substances of very high concern
• Solutions not compatible with existing paper recycling streams or at-home compostability
• Materials subject to other restrictions (e.g., included on official negative lists)
• Note that for moisture barrier we are focusing on water vapor barrier (MVTR / WVTR) and not on liquid water resistance (water holdout droplet tests)