Aquapak appoints advisory board member to support development

The Advisory Board provides advice and input to support Aquapak’s management team as they embark on an exciting phase of global growth and innovation. This includes bringing its innovative HydropolTM technology to full-scale commercialisation, developing a portfolio around it, as well as focusing on a range of other bio-based and traditional polymers and other coatings.

Adrian brings over 30 years of highly relevant international experience gained working in the speciality chemicals industry in a number of roles ranging from pure R&D to new product development and manufacturing. Most recently, he was responsible for shaping, promoting, and implementing Plastics Europe’s strategy to increase the circularity of all plastics to achieve the plastic industry’s vision of a robust resilient plastics Circular Economy that maximises plastics reuse and recycling while minimising waste and resource use.

Commenting on Adrian’s appointment, Mark Lapping, Chief Executive Officer, Aquapak, said: “Adrian is joining Aquapak’s Advisory Board at a very exciting time in the growth of the business as we take the commercialisation of HydropolTM to the next level. His extensive technical expertise and understanding of Europe’s complex and often disjointed waste infrastructure is hugely valuable as we seek to promote recyclability, compostability, and biodegradability as priority end of life options.”

Commenting on the role, Adrian Whyle said: “Aquapak has developed an exciting proposition in HydropolTM which genuinely does have the potential to transform the use of conventional plastics in packaging. I look forward to working with the management team and Advisory Board members to help accelerate the development of the product portfolio and applications.”

Adrian is joining Aquapak’s other Advisory Board members:

• Dr Marijn Dekkers, former CEO OF Bayer AG and former Chairman of Unilever
• Charlie Crew, former CEO of SABIC Innovative Plastics
• Frankie Hobro, Director and Owner of Anglesey Sea Zoo and Marine Resource Centre
• Simon Weston, Former Director of Raw Materials, Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI)
• Paul Jenkins, MD, ThePackHub
• Professor Gary Critchlow, Surface & Interface Science, Loughborough University

Aquapak has successfully developed and commercialised HydropolTM, a high-performance polymer that enables product design to provide its much-needed functionality whilst increasing recycling and reducing plastic pollution. When extrusion coated or laminated onto paper, HydropolTM adds strength and barriers to oxygen, oil, and grease, and its solubility allows 100% paper fibre recovery through paper recycling mills. As well as being biodegradable and compostable, it is non-toxic to the environment and marine-safe, so it still has a safe end-of-life if it is not disposed of as intended. It is already being used in products such as reusable, heat sealable paper mailing bags.