Nfinite, the Waterloo-based advanced materials company developing atmospheric pressure spatial atomic layer deposition technology (AP-SALD), has secured a USD 3.4 million grant from the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) to accelerate commercialization of its high-barrier paper platform for flexible packaging applications.
The funding, provided through NRC’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP), will support the company’s transition from laboratory-scale development to pilot and industrial production. The three-year grant covers the deployment of a pilot production plant in Waterloo and completion of Nfinite’s first industrial facility, which is expected to produce “tens of millions of square meters of high barrier paper annually,” according to the company.
Nfinite positions its AP-SALD process as a breakthrough in thin-film deposition, enabling ultra-thin, highly conformal coatings that deliver barrier performance on paper substrates. “Using our proprietary AP-SALD system, Nfinite has demonstrated novel barrier performance on paper,” said Miguel Galvez, CEO at Nfinite. “A paper solution that has the same shelf-life barrier performance as metallized plastic has the potential to eliminate plastic from the flexible packaging industry.”
The company notes rising interest in fibre-based flexible packaging among brands seeking substitutes for hard-to-recycle laminates and metallized films. Paper-based structures, when equipped with high-performance barrier layers, offer a route to increasing recyclability while meeting shelf-life requirements.
As part of the NRC-backed programme, Nfinite will collaborate with Amcor, PepsiCo and Unilever. All three partners maintain long-term initiatives aimed at transitioning packaging portfolios toward recyclable, compostable or circular formats.
“Amcor is excited to be both an early-stage investor and a strategic collaboration partner to Nfinite on this groundbreaking project,” said Michael Hartman, Senior Fellow, Emerging Material/Process Development at Amcor. “The AP-SALD technology developed by Nfinite has shown promising results able to create fiber-based flexible packaging. Together, we aim to advance towards more circular packaging solutions.”
Unilever’s Mark Newman added: “We’re collaborating with partners like Nfinite to develop the next generation of recyclable and compostable flexible packaging with ultra-thin barrier coatings that meet the performance needs of our broad portfolio. We look forward to continuing our work with Nfinite on this significant technical challenge as they continue to grow and scale.”
PepsiCo highlighted the pace of technological advancement: “In the short span of two years, they have made rapid progress from lab-scale technology to actual roll-to-roll coating implementation at different scales,” said Sridevi Narayan-Sarathy, Technical Director / R&D Senior Fellow. “Nfinite has the potential to make further significant progress in the development of compostable film and paper.”
Galvez called the NRC support a critical milestone: “We are grateful to the NRC, as well as our commercial partners, for believing in our mission to eliminate single-use plastic flexible packaging and enable a more sustainable and circular future.”
