Melodea

You'll often hear us talk about recyclable packaging materials with a proviso – applying barrier coatings can diminish a material's recyclability. That's because nearly every coating on the market contains chemical additives that not only hinder packaging's end-of-life treatment, but are having a detrimental impact on human health. The need for a plastic-free alternative is desperate.

Enter Melodea, an Israeli green-tech pioneer that has developed a range of plant-based barrier coatings. Using a proprietary technology to extract cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) from forestry by-products, the next-generation coatings offer high-performance oxygen, oil, and water vapour resistance. With concrete plans to scale up production following the acquisition of a new US plant, we're thrilled to see a startup taking on the task of bringing a plastic-free coating to market. 13 years after its founding, 2023 could prove to be Melodea's year.