Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc announced it signed a five-year supply and marketing agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutica, a division of Johnson & Johnson. The agreement covers anti-fungal and anti-bacterial technology for plastic applications.
Janssen PMP is a division of Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, which forms part of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies. Janssen PMP has more than 30 years of experience in the development and commercialization of sustainable products that are used to preserve and protect materials against biological degradation.
Janssen PMP (a division of Janssen Pharmaceutica) and Symphony have been working together for the past two years to introduce a master batch which can be put into plastic products at the manufacturing stage to control dangerous bacteria such as MRSA, E.coli, Salmonella, Listeria, Pseudomonas, and Aspergillus Niger; and in particular algae and fungi such as M. Piriformis and P. Roqueforti.
The master batch will provide better protection against bacteria, fungi, molds, mildew, and algae for plastics including packaging, agriculture and fisheries products, semi-rigid and rigid containers, medical instruments, and pipes.
The agreement provides Symphony with distribution and marketing rights in a large number of countries. The product will be sold by Symphony and co-branded under the d2p brand name.
The need for this type of technology was highlighted by the U.K. Chief Medical Officer’s warning in March 2013 that there is a catastrophic threat of resistance to antibiotics. Also, the British Broadcast Corporation (BBC) has reported that between 30% and 50% of the world’s four billion tonnes of food products goes to waste each year.
Michael Laurier, Chief Executive of Symphony, says, “The collaboration with Janssen is a significant step forward in the development of Symphony's business, as this is ground-breaking technology.
“Spread of infection and food wastage are major global problems. According to the U.K. government, we throw away 7.2 million tonnes of food and drink in the U.K. alone, most of which could have been consumed, at an estimated cost of £12 billion a year. We are already negotiating with large global users after positive laboratory tests and manufacturing trials with them, and await regulatory approval, which we anticipate will be granted during 2014. Commercial sales volumes for food-contact applications are expected to be realised in 2014/15, and for non-food applications perhaps even earlier.”
A video presentation can be seen.
Symphony is a member of The British Plastics Federation (BPF), the Oxo-biodegradable Plastics Assn. (OPA), the Society for the Chemical Industry (U.K.), and the Pacific Basin Environmental Council. The company actively participates in the Committee work of the British Standards Institute (BSI), the American Standards Organization (ASTM), the European Standards Organisation (CEN), and the International Standards Organisation (ISO).
