Sustainability

Paper packaging is a versatile material used for a wide range of products. Its widespread adoption is due to its renewable and relatively low-cost resource along with environmental benefits such as recyclability and biodegradability. While paper packaging offers several advantages, some drawbacks of the material include porosity and the lack of barrier properties against moisture, oil, and grease. To overcome these limitations, conventional coatings such as polyethylene (PE) or polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been employed to impart the required barrier protection. However, during the paper recycling process, it is difficult to repulp the coated paper due to several factors and results in reduced recyclability of such packaging materials. The technology on offer is a water-based coating formulation that can be applied onto paper packaging surfaces to act as a barrier against grease, liquid water, and water vapour. The coating imparts barrier protection functionalities, improving the paper’s resistance to grease, liquid water, and water vapor significantly. Use of bio-sourced constituents in the coating also improves product sustainability. As the coating’s constituents are repulpable, recyclability of the paper packaging can be achieved. With increasing awareness of reducing packaging waste, the deployment of this technology will offer companies a recyclable paper packaging with notable barrier properties. The technology owner is seeking for R&D co-development, test bedding and IP out licensing opportunities of this technology with interested companies.

Fragrance and deodorising sprays for home care, fabric care and pet care applications often suffer from inconsistent and shortlived performance. This Nano Delivery Technology encapsulates fragrances, essential oils and other odourous compounds into nano sized biodegradable capsules that can anchor themselves efficiently to fibres and hairs, while regulating the release of the encapsulated compounds over prolonged time periods. The encapsulation process takes place at room temperatures, using low energy methods, that preserves the integrity of the actives. The technology is designed as a ready-to-use adjuvant allowing manufacturers to nano encapsulate the actives independently and easily using their existing process and production equipments. 

Plastic recycling rates have remained low in Singapore, ranging between 4% and 6% from 2017 to 2022. To reduce waste generation and improve recycling rates of packaging waste, NEA has introduced various initiatives such as the National Recycling Programme (NRP), Packaging Partnership Programme, the Mandatory Packaging Reporting scheme, and the disposable carrier bag charge. To enhance Singapore’s plastics recycling efforts, NEA is pursuing chemical recycling solutions to close the plastic waste loop in Singapore. Beyond NEA’s existing and planned plastics recycling initiatives, there is a need to develop novel solutions to address the plastic sustainability challenges. These include extracting resources from other types of plastics present in mixed plastic waste, as well as developing sustainable plastic food packaging materials that utilise recycled plastic materials that are easy to recycle. NEA has launched a competitive grant call on “Beyond Incineration: Plastic Waste Recycling and Packaging Solutions” under the Closing the Resource Loop Funding Initiative Grant Submission Deadline: 31 Jan 2024, 11 am Singapore Time

This technology delivers physical climate risk analytics for any asset or portfolio. It combines climate hazard with consequence models, offering richer insights than typical climate risk screening tools. Outputs detail financial repercussions from damages, projected downtime, portfolio risk correlation, increased climate-induced risks, and various other actionable risk metrics. The technology has global coverage, uses high-resolution input data (30x30m), validated computations, and proper uncertainty quantification. Models integrate climate dynamics, providing these same risk metrics for future climate. Stochastic event simulations underpin all the models, which uniquely enables the computation of climate risk correlation across portfolios.

To address the challenges in chewing and swallowing faced by the elderly and other special care groups such as stroke patients, researchers from a Thai university have developed ready-to-eat wholemeal purees that serve as an all-in-one meal support. Suitable for those on an IDDSI Level 4 diet, it is designed as a healthy, special care food to provide high nutritional values and energy and to aid health rehabilitation and recovery. In addition to patients with dysphagia, this puree is also suitable for health-conscious consumers.  The team is seeking partners to bring the product to commercialisation and obtain certification according to global standards. They are also open to further develop and customise new products.

Anti-corrosion is important for piping systems because corrosion can lead to several problems including reduced flow capacity, leaks and ruptures, contamination, increased maintenance costs and reduced lifespan. While there are several approaches to mitigate these problems, a possible approach is to utilise thermoplastic materials which are lightweight, durable, and resistant to corrosion. This technology is a thermoplastic piping system lined with HDPE/LDPE linings that is corrosion-resistant, do not generate any waste (waste material can be recycled) and has a reduced carbon footprint. The piping system is easy to assemble and install, providing long service lives due to the high-quality thermoplastic materials being deployed in the system. By laying these thermoplastic pipes underground using native soil without sand-bedding, a reduction in CO2 is achieved and offers users a sustainable piping solution against conventional piping materials. In combination with proprietary welding technologies, the technology has the lowest rate of leakages with high guarantee of preservation of drinking water quality when used in water piping systems. The technology owner is seeking for co-development and test-bedding opportunities with asset owners to integrate the technology into their infrastructure, particularly with hydrogen producing and transporting companies.

According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), invasive insects cost the global economy around US$ 70 billion each year. Rising temperatures, longer seasons, and changing weather patterns are creating more favourable conditions for insects to thrive in many areas, leading to increased infestations in crops. Traditional pest management methods in food crops, such as frequent spraying of insecticides and repeated inspection, are labour intensive and can have negative environmental impacts. This technology offers a promising solution to these challenges. It simultaneously reduces the particle size of insecticides and modifies their surface properties, which increases foliar uptake by several folds. Once absorbed by leaves, the insecticides are no longer prone to wash off or environmental degradation, resulting in a substantially longer residual treatment effect and a reduction in usage volumes and reapplication frequencies of the insecticides. This technology is designed as a ready-to-use adjuvant that works with commercialised insecticides. Growers can independently and safely nano encapsulate the insecticides with basic mixing equipment and a simple, one-step mixing process.

Root rot diseases in food crops are devastating diseases currently without solution. Examples of such diseases are the Basal Stem Rot in oil palms, Fusarium Wilt in bananas, and Phytophthora Root Rot in citrus.  While fungicides have in vitro efficacy, most do not possess phloem mobility and therefore cannot reach the roots to effect treatment. Thus, despite widespread usage of fungicides, root rot diseases are still inadequately treated or are not treated at all. This Nano Delivery Technology imparts phloem mobility to fungicides, allowing them to reach the roots from the application site to treat and protect the crops. The technology is designed as a ready-to-use adjuvant that works with commercialised fungicides. Growers can independently and safely nano encapsulate the fungicides with basic mixing equipment and a simple, one-step mixing process. This technology is patent-pending and ready to market.

Probiotic bacteria play a pivotal role in stimulating T cell-dependent immune responses, offering protection against bacterial infections, and addressing various gut-related conditions resulting in the healthy gut health. This technology features specially designed formulations using meticulously selected microbial probiotic strains with exceptional attributes and natural bioactive compounds with prebiotic and functional properties to enhance gut health and bolster immune support. In particular, the formulations feature a functional, prebiotic ingredient that promotes beneficial gut bacteria and prepared from mulberry through a patent-pending process.  With a team of specialists capable of customising probiotic functions to specific needs, they are able to select, isolate and culture advanced probiotic strains, as well as conduct pharmacological activities for functional claims. Depending on customers’ needs, e.g. facilitating growth of gut beneficial microorganisms, prevent infections, or reduce inflammation in the digestive system, the team can customise the blend of ingredients.