Israeli clean-tech startup W-Cycle has partnered with Brazilian company Melhoramentos to develop a new compostable food packaging material that fully decomposes within 100 days.

The strategic partnership aims to create an ecofriendly alternative to single-use plastics that can withstand extreme temperatures and provide robust food containment.

W-Cycle’s proprietary material, SupraPulp, is made from agricultural waste products like sugarcane bagasse, eucalyptus wood fibers and banana leaves.

The packaging is oil- and water-resistant and can endure temperatures ranging from minus -40°C to 220°C, making it suitable for freezer-to-oven use without requiring plastic lamination.

The collaboration, valued at a minimum of $3.45 million, will leverage Melhoramentos’ extensive renewable forestry resources and W-Cycle’s packaging expertise, and aims to address the critical environmental challenge posed by plastic waste.

Keep reading at israel21c.org.

W-Cycle Chief Chemist Dr. Dorit Canci is a Technion alumna.