Bioplastic technology company Floreon Transforming Packaging Ltd has been chosen as one of 14 companies to take to the stage in the final of the Duke of York’s Pitch@Palace initiative, part of The Prince Andrew Charitable Trust. The final, which takes place on Monday 7 March at St. James’s Palace, will see the Floreon team present its patented, high performance plastic which is produced from renewable resources, using plants as a raw material.
Floreon, a biodegradable, polyester-based polymer blend of a standard bioplastic polylactic acid (PLA), yields a resin that is much tougher and easier to process than current materials and has the potential to expand the use of bioplastics and replace other plastic derivatives. The patented technology is suitable for a wide range of plastic packaging, but with improved mechanical, physical, chemical and thermal properties. Credited for its toughness, higher strength and durability compared to standard PLA, it is also recyclable, biodegradable and requires far less energy to process compared to rival products.
“What makes Floreon unique is that we have significantly boosted the performance of PLA without adversely changing the nature of the material,” explained Dr. Andrew Gill, Technical Director, Floreon. “Our additives are effective at very low addition levels, maintaining a high level of biobased content without compromising the compostability or safety of the material.
“Instead of simply comparing Floreon with other bioplastics, independent testing has shown that it can outperform PET in terms of mechanical performance. While we recognise the success story of PET recycling and respect that we won’t replace the material in every application, such as soft drink bottles, it is clear that newly established bioplastics offer significant opportunities for the future in terms of both production, functionality and end of life options.”
The Pitch@Palace initiative, launched in 2014, was established to help support UK start-ups by giving them access to finance and advice from successful business leaders and investors. The final, which takes place twice a year at St. James’s Palace, follows a three-month judging process which has seen Floreon present its versatile bioplastic to Prince Andrew and a panel of experts. Floreon was first selected as one of the successful businesses at the Pitch@Palace On Tour event in Manchester at the Alderley Park Conference Centre, before successfully completing the Pitch@Palace Boot Camp, which took place on Monday 22 February at the University of Cambridge. The Boot Camp gave 42 entrepreneurs a chance to prepare a three-minute pitch for the panel of judges, with only 14 companies making it into the final.
Speaking about the process and success so far, Shaun Chatterton, CEO of Floreon, said: “Everyone at Floreon is proud that we have been chosen as a finalist in the Pitch@Palace process – particularly given this year’s focus on biotech innovations. This is an incredibly exciting time for the company and we’re excited to showcase how this unique bioplastic can change the way we think about plastics and packaging.”
In addition to the Pitch@Palace 5.0 final, Floreon is nominated in the Pitch@Palace People’s Choice Award. To watch the Floreon pitch video and vote for the world’s most versatile bioplastic, visit https://178.62.5.150/company/21
For more information on Floreon visit www.floreon.com or call 01482 625 669. You can also follow Floreon on Twitter (https://twitter.com/FloreonTP) or join the conversation on LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/company/floreon-plc).
