Companies W-Cycle Ltd. and Melhoramentos have joined forces to produce compostable food packaging made from renewable materials that naturally decompose within 100 days.

Through the agreement, W-Cycle will provide its proprietary food-grade packaging formula and consulting services to Melhoramentos Latin America for a period of three years. Melhoramentos will leverage W-Cycle’s resources to create new, advanced biodegradable packaging, incorporating its own high-performance cellulose fibers sourced from its renewable forestry operation.

With its patented, food-grade SupraPulp technology, W-Cycle is experienced in making eco-friendly food packaging. SupraPulp comprises a line of formulas combining sugarcane waste or other side-streams, such as eucalyptus wood fibers and banana leaves, with additives to produce molded fiber packaging. Leveraging this knowledge, as part of the partnership, W-Cycle will tailor pulp formulations that are compatible with the types of fibers produced through Melhoramentos’s forest cultivation operations, and will provide research and development support in molded fiber production.

Melhoramentos states that the packaging it produces through this partnership will be grease-resistant, moisture-proof, and able to withstand extreme temperatures, offering a sustainable replacement for single-use plastics.