INX International Ink Co. invests in PFAS-free, packaging sustainable-coatings provider DetraPel

Schaumburg, IL-based INX International Ink Co. completes an investment in DetraPel, an advanced materials company that manufactures sustainable coatings. This represents the fourth deal closed since the $50M INX Venture Capital investment program was established in 2022.

DetraPel is the parent company of the consumer division ProofPlus, and Impermea Materials, its recently rebranded industrial arm. Impermea Materials is an advanced materials company that provides solutions to drive the next generation of PFAS- and plastic-free innovation (above).

These solutions promise performance for ordinary materials through unusual molecules. For example, solutions for Paper and Paperboard Packaging offer a variety of substrate technologies such as oil- and grease-resistance (OGR), moisture-vapor transmission (MTVR) barriers, adhesives, release coatings and more. These water-based plastic alternatives are FDA-compliant (A-H), heat-sealable, and preserve the flexibility and foldability of the substrate.

“Since our inception a decade ago, we have been developing PFAS-free (100% fluorine-free), water-based chemistries that outperform their fluorinated counterparts,” says David Zamarin, founder and CEO of DetraPel. “For brands looking to accelerate the transition to safe solutions and match performance goals, our team at Impermea works directly with manufacturing teams to remove the chemicals and plastics without sacrificing the everyday performance of the products, and creating new efficiencies across their supply chain.”

INX plans to leverage its technical expertise and go-to-market capabilities to support the adoption of sustainable barrier coatings by brands and packaging converters. The DetraPel investment focuses on paper and fiber-based packaging and complements Sakata INX’s Ecostage GB-XA oxygen barrier coatings, an offering for films introduced to the market earlier this year.

“Sakata INX develops various functional coating agents, but through this collaboration with DetraPel, we expect market traction will progress more rapidly,” adds Katsuya Tanaka, gm-International Operations of Corporate Planning at Sakata INX Corp. “INX’s corporate venture program represents an expansion of Sakata’s innovation toolkit. It furthers our mission of leading the printing inks and coatings industry in delivering safe, sustainable solutions that care for the earth and address societal issues for a better, more colorful future. The forward-thinking strategy and advanced materials offering from Impermea Materials is closely aligned with our goals and ideology, and makes this partnership a good fit.”

Both INX and Impermea Materials serve the paper and paperboard packaging markets with a commitment to sustainable solutions. DetraPel’s product offering are said to be highly complementary to serve the sustainable barrier-coating solutions market.