Amcor has selected four start-ups from the UK and US to progress in its latest Lift-Off Sprints challenge, which focuses on developing moisture barriers for compostable packaging substrates, including paper.
The shortlisted companies, which remain unnamed at this stage in the process, are working on improving water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) barriers, a key technical hurdle in expanding compostable packaging applications. They will now enter further evaluation with Amcor’s research and development and corporate venturing teams, which may include technical trials, joint development agreements or potential investment.
Frank Lehmann, vice president corporate venturing and open innovation at Amcor, said the technologies under consideration “show strong promise in helping to meet the functional demands of moisture-sensitive applications while advancing our sustainability goals”.
The competition sits under the Lift-Off Sprints track of Amcor’s broader Lift-Off initiative, which was launched in 2022 to support early-stage companies working on packaging technologies. Amcor says the Sprints stream is designed to address specific R&D challenges and offers selected start-ups the chance to collaborate with internal technical teams and access up to US$500,000 in funding.
Previous Lift-Off rounds have included work on nanocoatings, AI-driven waste recognition and plant-based chemical conversion.
“Amcor Lift-Off is more than a funding mechanism, it’s a gateway to long-term partnerships,” Lehmann said. “Our ambition is to be the go-to partner for packaging innovation, and Amcor Lift-Off helps us connect with the brightest minds in the start-up ecosystem.”
