Sustainable food packaging pioneer W-Cycle, Ltd. is deepening its alliance with Melhoramentos to answer demand for plastic-free, compostable food containers through its breakthrough packaging formula. 

The publicly traded Brazilian company with activities spanning publishing, renewable forestry, and real estate has injected fresh investment into W-cycle, propelling its innovation journey into the realm of eco-responsible packaging development.

This move follows a $3.4-million strategic partnership sealed in November 2024 between the two entities to supply Melhoramentos W-Cycle's proprietary food-grade packaging composition, with exclusive rights to serve the Latin American market.

During the past 18 months of the collaboration, Melhoramentos has been consulting with W-cycle on effectively integrating cellulose fibers that are sourced from its own 80 million-square-meter renewable forestry operations. A portion of Melhoramentos' pulp is being redirected from traditional use within the paper and cardboard production industry toward the production of high-performance compostable food containers, giving the natural and abundant material new purpose.

"Having successfully merged our raw materials with W-Cycle's truly groundbreaking solution and after a year and a half of consultations and professional support, this proven and tested innovation and collaboration, makes this latest investment the logical next step forward," says Rafael Gibini, CEO of Melhoramentos.

"We are excited and feel fortunate to collaborate with Melhoramentos in moving our venture forward," says Isaac Rome, CEO of W-Cycle. "Our shared mission to improve the global food packaging value chain will help build a sustainable future for all. The financial support from this leading company gives us significant R&D leverage and acceleration into large-scale commercial deployment with multi-million-dollar revenue."

Packaging from the Earth.... and back

W-Cycle, a clean-tech start-up, is breaking new ground within the molded fiber space with the creation of its innovative range of food-grade SupraPulp™ formulas. SupraPulp helps molded fiber producers manufacture a new generation of food compliant, eco-friendly trays and containers that are as robust as plastic yet require no plastic lamination and fully decompose back to the earth after use.

When combined with various types of fiber-based sidestreams, such as sugarcane waste (bagasse) or eucalyptus wood fiber, these cutting-edge additives boost material resilience, allowing for molded fiber food packaging that is eco-friendly yet meticulously engineered to withstand grease, moisture, and temperature variations.

New Solutions

W-Cycle's proprietary portfolio of solutions is designed to hold either frozen or hot, oily foods—ideal for the food, foodservice, and food delivery sectors. The company also has developed more heavy-duty solutions designed to contain greasy moist food during heating (including in air fryers), baking, and freezing. 

Tailored for caterers and ready-to-eat meal manufacturers, these lightweight structures can withstand extreme temperatures ranging from -40° to 220°C without risk of leakage or breakage. These formulas serve food packaging manufacturers seeking to upgrade their own solutions, or fiber manufacturers seeking to join the molded fiber and compostable food container movement.

With the new infusion of capital, W-Cycle intends to expand and upgrade its R&D department to further fine tune the capabilities of its packaging solutions and accelerate development of new formulations. The funding also will help scale W-Cycle's operations, bolster its sales teams with top-tier professionals, support growth strategies, and widen its market presence.