Transcend Packaging has entered into a €90m partnership with Silicon valley start-up Zume to offer moulded fibre products on a large-scale to Europe.

Zume, the moulded fibre manufacturing system specialist and provider of compostable packaging, said it was confident the deal can reduce the amount of single-use plastic that enters landfill annually.

It is aiming to make an impact globally as brands move to enhance how their packaging performs at the end of its useful life.

Zume provides sustainable packaging solutions for some of the largest Quick Service Retail (QSR) brands by using a single tech stack of hardware, software, and services to swap out plastic packaging with moulded fibre alternatives.

The partnership aims to create viable, cost-effective solutions by building a bridge between the needs of global brands and the capabilities of forward-thinking manufacturers.

The multi-million-pound deal will see one of the largest specialist moulded fibre production facilities created in Europe.

Site assessments regarding exact location are currently being conducted, with the aim of being fully functional by mid-2023.

Launching to market with moulded fibre ‘snap lids’ for hot beverage cups, the aim is to initially create 500 million units of capacity by September, enabling large global food and beverage companies and leading QSR brands to have an immediately available solution.

Transcend will be the exclusive distributor of Zume’s moulded fibre lids in Europe, and Zume’s global customers will have access to Transcend’s catalogue of products.

Zume’s partnership with ABB Robotics enables it to create moulded fibre products using state of the art manufacturing cells and robotic machinery worldwide.

Zume’s process takes millions of tonnes of various global biomass and converts the natural plant fibres into advanced moulded fibre products.

Lorenzo Angelucci, chief executive of Transcend Packaging, said the company is talking to some large global FMCG brands who are keen to reduce plastic packaging content: “Many brands know they need to aim for higher levels of sustainability in their packaging, but knowing where to begin and navigating the tricky landscape is challenging. Businesses need to re-learn how they think about packaging in order to move toward sustainable alternatives that can be recycled at scale.

“We’re excited to work with Zume – using world-leading technology, as they have been instrumental in helping some of the biggest global brands move beyond plastics and EPS foam products. Through our partnership, and by creating a state of the art production facility in Europe, we hope to continue this hard work and encourage businesses in Europe to take the next step, challenge their perceptions and showcase how viable new alternatives can be in meeting both performance and customer expectations.”

Alex Garden, Zume’s Chairman and chief executive, said: “For global brands, maintaining the status quo with plastic use is no longer a viable strategy. The proof will lie in the hands of brands who put a plan in place and see it through. Zume aims to provide companies with a road beyond plastic. This partnership with Transcend aims to further expand our capacity to incite real change and replace plastic with an economically viable solution that performs like plastic without the harms of plastic.”

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