The HiBarFilm2 Project is an Innovate UK funded project (Ref: 10015317) that started in March 2022. Haydale Composite Solutions Ltd is leading the consortium of eight companies – BASF, Bangor University, Cambridge Nanomaterials Technologies, Dunbia, Fre-Energy, Parkside Flexibles and Wells Plastics – to develop the next generation of high barrier films for food packaging using functionalised nanomaterials (“HiBarFilm2 Consortium”).

HiBarFilm2 has an ambitious objective to achieve the same barrier performance using a mono-materials polyolefin film as the currently used multilayer barrier films.

The consortium aims to accomplish this using plasma functionalised nanomaterials to increase barrier performance in two main areas of focus; firstly by mixing the nanomaterials directly into the polyolefin prior to filming, adding barrier properties to the film itself – both polyolefin films and compostable plastics will be used to also address the issue with contamination of films with food waste such as fats and blood; and secondly, by dispersing the nanomaterials into a barrier coating which can be applied to the polyolefin substrate. The advantage being the two solutions can be combined to increase the barrier performance further. By manufacturing mono-material flexible films the recyclability of these materials will increase, and value will be added.