Nfinite secures $4.6M CAD grant from the National Resource Council of Canada (NRC)

Funds will help advanced materials startup scale its high-barrier paper platform for the flexible packaging market

WATERLOO, ON, Dec. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Nfinite, an advanced materials company commercializing a breakthrough open-air roll-to-roll process for depositing ultra-thin highly conformal coatings, known as atmospheric pressure spatial atomic layer deposition (AP-SALD), today announced that it has secured a $4.6M CAD grant from the National Resource Council of Canada (NRC). The funds, made available through the NRC's Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), will enable the company to scale up its breakthrough thin film deposition platform from the lab and into commercialization, specifically for the packaging industry.

"Using our proprietary AP-SALD system, Nfinite has demonstrated novel barrier performance on paper," said Miguel Galvez, CEO at Nfinite. "A paper solution that has the same shelf-life barrier performance as metallized plastic has the potential to eliminate plastic from the flexible packaging industry."

According to Grand View Research, "flexible" packaging is currently a $270 billion dollar market ^[1]. Additionally, paper-based alternatives give large consumer packaged goods (CPGs) companies more packaging choices in formats and materials that attract consumers and meet their sustainability goals, while still achieving performance and product shelf-life requirements. 

As part of the grant, Nfinite will collaborate with three commercial partners: Amcor, PepsiCo, and Unilever – all of whom share the same mission in moving towards compostable and recyclable packaging solutions. The grant continues for 3 years and will assist Nfinite in deploying its pilot production plant in Waterloo, Ontario. The NRC funds will also help the company finalize its first industrial production facility, which is expected to produce tens of millions of square meters of high barrier paper annually.

"Amcor is excited to be both an early-stage investor and a strategic collaboration partner to Nfinite on this groundbreaking project," said Michael Hartman, Senior Fellow, Emerging Material/Process Development at Amcor. "The AP-SALD technology developed by Nfinite has shown promising results able to create fiber-based flexible packaging. Together, we aim to advance towards more circular packaging solutions, and we look forward to working jointly on this exciting technology."

"At Unilever's Global Packaging R&D Centre, we're focused on developing alternatives to hard-to-recycle flexible plastics, which include alternative paper-based materials," said Mark Newman, Head of Packaging, Advanced Materials at Unilever. "We're collaborating with partners like Nfinite to develop the next generation of recyclable and compostable flexible packaging with ultra-thin barrier coatings that meet the performance needs of our broad portfolio. We look forward to continuing our work with Nfinite on this significant technical challenge as they continue to grow and scale."

"PepsiCo R&D started working with the Nfinite team while they were at the University of Waterloo, and in the short span of two years, they have made rapid progress from lab-scale technology to actual roll-to-roll coating implementation at different scales," said Sridevi Narayan-Sarathy, Technical Director / R&D Senior Fellow at PepsiCo. "Nfinite has the potential to make further significant progress in the development of compostable film and paper."

"Nfinite is thrilled to have been awarded the NRC grant," said Galvez. "We are grateful to the NRC, as well as our commercial partners, for believing in our mission to eliminate single-use plastic flexible packaging and enable a more sustainable and circular future."

About Nfinite

Nfinite is a spin-off from the University of Waterloo commercializing high-barrier paper packaging based on its AP-SALD coating process. The company was founded in 2021, is based in Waterloo, Ontario, and has 18 employees.

About NRC IRAP

The NRC partners with Canadian industry to take research impacts from the lab to the marketplace, where people can experience the benefits. This market-driven focus delivers innovation faster, enhances people's lives and addresses some of the world's most pressing problems. The NRC's Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) initiative provides new support for Canadian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop and advance clean technologies through to commercialization

About Amcor

Amcor is a global leader in packaging solutions for consumer and healthcare products. With industry-leading innovation capabilities, global scale and technical expertise, Amcor helps customers grow and meet the needs of millions of consumers every day by developing responsible, more sustainable packaging in flexible and rigid formats across multiple materials.  Amcor was one of the first investors in Nfinite through the Amcor Lift-Off program back in 2022, supporting early-stage breakthrough innovations. Both Nfinite and Amcor are working together to extensively test the coatings and ensuring that these are optimized for Amcor's manufacturing processes.

About Unilever

Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Foods and Ice Cream products, with sales in over 190 countries and products used by 3.4 billion people every day. We have 128,000 employees and generated sales of €60.8 billion in 2024. Nfinite is working with Unilever to develop high-barrier coatings for their paper-based flexible packaging portfolio, suitable for Unilever's target applications and products. For more information about Unilever and its brands, please visit www.unilever.com.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo, Inc. is a leading global food and beverage company best known for its iconic brands like Pepsi, Lay's, Gatorade, and Quaker. The company operates in more than 200 countries and territories, offering a broad portfolio of snacks, beverages, and nutrition products. PepsiCo is recognized for its strategic focus on sustainability, innovation, and balanced nutrition, with a growing presence in both developed and emerging markets.

Since PepsiCo began working with Nfinite in 2021, Nfinite has demonstrated a 500x improvement in moisture barrier and 230x improvement in oxygen barrier on PepsiCo's compostable packaging materials for snack products.

Media Contact: Jay Staunton, 781-790-6023

[1] https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/global-flexible-packaging-market

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SOURCE Nfinite