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Overview:

Bayer’s consumer healthcare division is seeking biodegradable, compostable, or dissolvable packaging solutions derived from sustainable sources for products packaged in sachets and/or rigid or flexible tubing.

Challenge has ended.

Background:

Bayer’s consumer healthcare division has pharmaceutical, over-the-counter and nutritional product lines. While current packaging meets requirements for the protection of products, it frequently results in waste that does not break down when discarded and is not sourced from sustainable materials.

To meet their sustainability goals without compromising their commitment to improving consumer health, Bayer is seeking biodegradable/compostable/dissolvable packaging that ensures that the contents maintain their potency.

Constraints:

Solutions must:

  • Be biodegradable, compostable, dissolvable, or edible with no impact to the environment at the end of life.
  • Have barrier properties of (or potential barrier properties based on modification):
    • Water vapor transmission rate
      • Sachet – MVTR @38ºC, 90%RH – 0.02 g/100in2/day
      • Flex – MVTR @38ºC , 90%RH – .001-.009 g/ 100in2/day
      • Rigid – MVTR @38ºC, 90%RH – 0.09g/100in2/day
    • Oxygen transmission rates
      • Sachet – OTR @22ºC, 0%RH – 0.02 cc/100in2/day
      • Flex Tube – OTR @50ºC , 50%RH – .01 -.04 g/ 100in2/day
      • Rigid Tube – OTR @22ºC, 0%RH – 0.09 cc/100in2/day

Solutions should:

  • Be sourced from biobased or renewably sourced materials
  • Have a route to industrial packaging scale
  • Be compatible with existing packaging production lines
  • Be cost-effective
  • Be validated by a third party for biodegradability, compostability, etc.

Barrier films that can be applied to biodegradable or renewably sourced materials without negatively affecting their end-of-life biodegradability are also of interest.

Possible Solution Areas:

Packaging materials derived from sources such as:

  • Seaweed extracts e.g., alginate
  • Other plant extracts e.g., starch, bagasse, cellulose, mycelium
  • Chitosan
  • Agricultural waste

Technologies used for packaging of other consumer products such as food, personal care, or home care products.

 

Desired outcome of the solution:

Bayer is open to partnering to develop solutions as well as commercialized or near-commercial products.

Submit your solutions to: bayerpackagingchallenge@yet2.com

 

Photo by Kateryna Hliznitsova on Unsplash

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