Packaging and film manufacturer Klöckner Pentaplast (KP) has signed a PE furanoate (PEF) capacity reservation agreement with Dutch biopolymers firm Avantium.
The deal will support access to future volumes of Avantium’s plant-based PEF, branded as Releaf, from prospective industrial-scale plants to be built and operated by licensees using Avantium’s technology, the companies said.
The agreement supports the businesses’ ambition to explore use of the material in thermoformed food packaging applications, including food trays and other packaging designed to protect fresh and prepared foods across Europe.
Releaf’s oxygen and carbon dioxide barrier properties are currently being evaluated for use in flexible lidding films and flow wrap packaging structures requiring high barrier performance.
They could potentially extend shelf-life in selected rigid packaging applications, keeping food fresh longer and reducing food waste.
An alternative to multilayer trays
In addition, the material’s lower carbon footprint is said to support the sustainability goals of converters and brand owners, while also supporting the development of packaging structures designed for recyclability – providing an alternative to conventional multilayer trays that are more challenging to recycle.
KP is a market leader in rigid and flexible packaging and speciality film, serving the pharmaceutical, medical device, food, beverage and card markets, among others. It has held a gold rating from EcoVadis, the platform for environmental, social and ethical performance ratings, for five consecutive years.
“At KP, we are continuously exploring innovative and emerging packaging materials that can help our customers meet their sustainability goals while maintaining the high performance required for food packaging applications,” said Samuel Pardo, KP’s senior innovations manager.
“Releaf combines renewable feedstock origins and barrier characteristics that make it an interesting option for evaluation in thermoformed food packaging applications. Through this agreement, we plan to continue assessing the material’s performance, processability and suitability as part of our broader innovation programme.”
The potential for more supply
Under the terms of the agreement, ongoing evaluation activities and potential future access to volumes – subject to the material meeting technical, regulatory and commercial requirements – will be facilitated, the companies said.
“We are delighted to deepen our collaboration with KP, a leading global packaging company,” added Marco Jansen, chief commercial officer at Avantium.
“Thermoformed food packaging is an important market for PEF, where its combination of barrier performance, recyclability and renewable origin can create tangible value.
“This capacity reservation demonstrates growing market interest in PEF and supports our strategy to establish future industrial-scale PEF production through technology licensing.”
In February 2026, KP successfully completed its financial restructuring and emerged from US Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.
Earlier this month, Avantium completed the commissioning of the purification unit at its furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) flagship plant in Delfzijl. It is claimed to be the world’s first commercial-scale plant for the production of FDCA.
