Kraft Heinz crowned Kalpana Systems—a Dutch technologist behind a ‘thin film with the precision of a single atom’—as the winner of Rethinking Materials’ recent Global Innovation Challenge. The emerging tech delivers advanced oxygen and moisture barriers to otherwise recyclable paper or mono-PE, without impacting recyclability.
(from left) Linda Roman, Kim Bertens, John Ryan, and Edgar Castro-Aguirre, all of Kraft Heinz. (speaking) Sandra Wiegman, Kalpana Systems.
Here's where the rubber meets the road with brand owners like Kraft Heinz seeking specific OTR and WVTR specs in their materials: With only a 20-nanometer coating layer, this technology is able to provide water vapor transmission rates down to 10-3, or 1/1000, or 0.001 grams per square meter per day.
At the Rethinking Materials Summit held London last month, brand owners and CPGs met with and heard from industry leaders, innovators, start-ups, investors, and policymakers who together stand to accelerate the development and adoption of sustainable material solutions for consumer goods packaging.
A signature feature of the event, the Global Innovation Challenge allows start-up, scaling, and growing packaging technology providers to pitch their materials innovations to the largest global brands. This year, these new packaging tech innovators had their bite of the apple with none other than global food power hosue Kraft Heinz.
The brand owner sent a contingent of Linda Roman, Kim Bertens, John Ryan, and Edgar Castro-Aguirre with a specific mission and directive in selecting the Challenge’s winner: Search for a product that can deliver customized barrier performance for flexible paper and poly packaging. Their winner selection would have to help navigate shelf-life requirements for Kraft Heinz’s wide range of products, while helping to drive sustainable packaging solutions.
Netherlands-based Kalpana Systems carried the day in with a technology called super-spatial ALD (atomic layer deposition) of films.
“What if you did not have to choose between sustainability and performance when it comes to selecting your flexible packaging materials?,” asked said Sandra Wiegman, director, MA R&D Fellow, packaging R&D, Kalpana Systems to kick off her pitch. “We want to turn this vision into a reality by using our super spatial atomic layer deposition technology. Unlike conventional approaches that rely on a thick, metalized layer, or multi-materials that compromise the recyclability of the of the packaging materials, we develop ultra-thin barrier coatings—only a couple of nanometres thick—with very high [barrier] properties. This thinness is key, because it allows the base material to keep its recyclability while still delivering this [barrier] performance that we need. Therefore, we finally have a solution to tackle the plastic waste problem.”
So how does super-spatial ALD work? The technology innovator’s website simply breaks it down, stating: “Spatial ALD can be used to deposit thin films of materials like aluminum oxide (Al2O3) with precise thickness control, creating ultra-thin barrier layers that effectively block the passage of gases. Due to these ultra-thin layers, materials become easier to recycle. These thin layers can be applied on to other materials than plastics [like, for Kraft Heinz’s purposes, paper- or fiber-based films] while maintaining its protective properties, opening up the possibility to move towards a plastic-free packaging industry…
"Besides providing barrier properties to packaging materials, spatial ALD can also be used to add additional functionalities. Think of corrosion protection where thin films applied on metal packaging prevent it from reacting with the environment, enhancing the durability and longevity of the packaging. With thin layers of conductive materials, transparent conductive films can be incorporated into flexible electronics for smart packaging. Or thin layers of functional coatings can provide specific [characteristic] such as anti-fogging, anti-static, or anti-microbial properties.”
Here's where the rubber meets the road with brand owners like Kraft Heinz seeking specific OTR and WVTR specs in their materials: With only a 20-nanometer coating layer, this technology is able to provide water vapor transmission rates down to 10-3, or 1/1000, or 0.001 grams per square meter per day.
What impressed the judges most about Kalpana’s winning solution was its customized barrier solution that could deliver against important shelf-life requirements. As part of the prize, Kalpana will be invited to Kraft Heinz’s R&D facilities to receive strategic feedback and mentorship from its Global Innovation team. This support includes guidance on technical scale-up, regulatory compliance, and commercialization pathways.
“Kalpana System’s submission was a real showstopper for us. What impressed the judges most about their winning solution was its customized barrier solution that could potentially deliver against a range of shelf-life requirements. This was a game-changer for us, as it offered a high degree of flexibility and adaptability across our diverse portfolio of products,” Kim Bertens, packaging lead R&D, Emerging and Developed Markets at Kraft Heinz said of the winner.
The competition
Led by Kraft Heinz’s R&D packaging team, the global competition that Kalpana Systems ultimately won invited innovators and material scientists from around the world to present cutting-edge solutions that deliver enhanced barrier performance for food protection and extended shelf life. More than 80 entrants from 25 countries submitted their technologies, which led to a careful winnowing process by the Kraft Heinz team.
“To narrow down the field to three, our team carefully evaluated each entry against our key success criteria. These criteria included the ability to provide high moisture and oxygen barriers, compatibility with commercially available processes scalable for food applications, and recyclability or compostability,” said Linda Roman, director of packaging and North America R&D Fellow at Kraft Heinz. “After careful review, we selected the three finalists that demonstrated the greatest potential to meet these technical requirements, reach scalability, and address the widest range of product packaging applications.”
Kalpana Systems nanoscale coating technology slide showing atom-by-atom layering with barrier properties, making the barrier layers negligible for recycling systems.
Pack2Earth and Aptar (along with ProAmpac) were also chosen to pitch their solutions live on stage to Kraft Heinz executive panel, who further explored the viability of each innovation in a Q&A session before naming their winner.
“Aptar & ProAmpac’s submission really impressed the judges. Their multilayer flexible films with built-in scavenging technology extends shelf life by removing moisture. What caught our eye was that it’s available in foil, non-foil, and recycle-ready formats, with the potential to be applied across a wide portfolio of products,” said Bertens. “Pack2Earth’s submission was another exciting one for us. The judges were impressed with Pack2Earth’s heat sealable, biobased, compostable films with long shelf life potential for dry to semi-liquid products.”
“At Kraft Heinz we believe that collaboration is key to driving meaningful impact and we’re excited to provide feedback and insight to Kalpana to unlock new innovations to evolve our packaging journey,” Roman concluded of the competition. “The passion, creativity and ingenuity of all three finalists has been inspiring to see and it fills me with optimism for a more sustainable future for food packaging.”
Innovation beyond the challenge
So what else stood out to Kraft Heinz, who is constantly in search of technologies and solutions to fit its broad packaging portfolio? Here’s what Roman had to say:
“As we continue to explore innovative packaging solutions, we’re keeping our options open to various fields of materials technology. We are looking for solutions that effectively meet high barrier requirements to protect food products and meet various shelf-life requirements across our portfolio for shelf-stable, refrigerated, and frozen products. With over 200 iconic brands, sold in nearly 200 countries, we’re always on the lookout for sustainable packaging solutions that address shelf-life needs, consumer expectations, and sustainability considerations, and that can be applied across our wide range of products. Linda Roman of Kraft Heinz (left) congratulates Sandra Wiegman of Kalpana systems on the Global Innovation Challenge win for 2025.
“We were impressed with the range of technologies presented at Rethinking Materials, and several caught our eye as having the potential for scalability, which is critical in order to become adopted more broadly. As one of the largest food and beverage companies, we’re excited to partner with companies that share our commitment to the environment, and are encouraged by the innovations emerging within the packaging space,” she said. PW
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