As part of the MoU, IISc will establish a Centre of Excellence for upcycling and recycling thermoplastics used in a wide spectrum of rigid plastic packaging present in everyday life, ranging from soft drink bottles to cleaning products such as washing tablets.
This will see IISc and MTL developing solutions to turn waste into plastic packaging to allow repeated recycling of products. The organisations will also collaborate to develop a recyclable elastomeric material for all plastic pumps/triggers and also work to strengthen the caps of PET bottles, which are made from 100% recyclable plastic.
One of the key aims of this MoU is to replace a number of non-recyclable packaging materials with recyclable monolayer materials, which will help make transport cheaper and reduce breakage and damage. Another area of focus for the collaboration is the replacement of cardboard-based packaging, such as that used in pizza boxes, with foamed polyolefins, offering improved thermal insulation and weight reduction.
The MoU is yet another step towards realising MTL's aim of building a greener, cleaner environment through more recycling and reduced use of natural resources.
Mr. Thimmaiah Napanda, MD & CEO, Manjushree Technopack, said: "We are delighted to collaborate with a prestigious institute like IISc to support our vision of sustainable plastic packaging solutions. This is a significant development which will enable us to explore opportunities in existing technologies developed by IISc in the polymer segment.
"Setting up the Centre of Excellence will be crucial to bringing these innovative products to market more quickly and effectively, and we are grateful to IISc's testing labs with advanced machines, technology and tools.
As we look to the future, we intend to benchmark carbon footprints in process and recycling aspects for various materials in rigid packaging with the IISc"
Mr. Dr. Suryasarathi Bose, Associate Professor, Polymer Processing Group said: "It is an honour to collaborate with Manjushree Technopack (MTL), a market leader in the industry with a strong track record and growth prospects.
"We aim to leverage each other's strengths by working together on innovative, green-focused projects which we hope will become an industry example in the years to come and make an impact in terms of upcycling and recycling plastic packaging that is present in our everyday lives."
