Foodservice Packaging
Zerocircle unveils PFAS-free, heat sealable, hydrophobic coatings for plastic-lined paper cups
The coating provides water and grease resistance for hot beverages without a polyethylene lining or PFAS treatment, and is designed to be repulped in standard paper recycling streams.
Seaweed-derived 100% plastic free coating delivers water resistance, heat sealability with oil and grease resistance in a single natural layer.
Zerocircle Staff
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The announcement follows the entry into application of the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), whose PFAS limits for food-contact packaging took effect on 12 August 2026.
Zerocircle’s coating is formulated from natural polymers derived from seaweed and plant-based materials. It replaces both the polyethylene lamination used in conventional paper cups and the fluorochemical treatments used for water and grease resistance.
Because the coating is heat sealable, cups can be formed and seam-sealed on existing converting equipment without adhesive. Unlike plastic or PFAS-based alternatives, Zerocircle’s proprietary coating doesn't complicate paper recycling and integrates seamlessly into existing paper waste streams without requiring segregation. This also maintains the repulpability of the paper without leaching harmful chemicals and toxins in the water systems.
“Everyone's talking about the PPWR deadline like it's the hard part. The hard part is that most 'compostable' coatings on the market right now are still plastic-based or PFAS-dependent. They don't actually solve the problem, they just relabel it. We built Zerocircle's coating to work inside existing recycling infrastructure, not require a new one," said Neha Jain, CEO and Founder, Zerocircle.
The technology
Zerocircle is preparing commercial samples for its existing and new clients and is targeting deployment by the end of 2026. The company is working with QSR chains, catering businesses and packaging distributors across Europe to pilot the technology.
The technology has been tested with boiling water and hot coffee, maintaining performance up to 90 degrees Celsius. Zerocircle’s heat sealable coatings are compliant with the strictest anti-plastic policies in the world, including European Union’s Single Use Plastic Directive and the most recently imposed Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). The company is the first in Asia to be certified 100% plastic free, where the materials are chemically non-modified by The Netherland’s Wageningen University & Research.
Zerocircle’s materials are certified food contact safe, are REACH compliant, which means Zerocircle products are safe for humans and nature with no harmful chemicals or substances in them.
Regulatory urgency: PFAS bans accelerate market shift
PFAS, commonly described as forever chemicals, persist in the environment and bioaccumulate in human tissue. Many manufacturers using PFAS-based water and grease repellents in paper cup coatings are now required to identify compliant alternatives.
On 12 August 2026, the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) will ban PFAS from food-contact packaging at concentrations exceeding 25 parts per billion. PFAS, known as 'forever chemicals,' persist indefinitely in the environment and bioaccumulate in human tissue. The restriction follows mounting evidence of PFAS contamination in European drinking water systems and soil, prompting France to introduce an accelerated national PFAS ban on certain applications from 2026.
Many manufacturers currently using PFAS-based water repellents in paper cup coatings have no compliant alternatives. Zerocircle's natural polymer barrier coating solves this supply gap while eliminating the segregation problem altogether.
National measures are moving in parallel. France enacted Law No. 2025-188, supplemented by Decree No. 2025-1376, prohibiting PFAS in cosmetics, ski waxes, consumer textiles, footwear and waterproofing agents from 1 January 2026, with an extension to all textiles from 2030. That law does not cover food packaging, but it signals the direction of national PFAS policy across Europe.
Summary
Zerocircle has announced a heat-sealable coating for paper cups made entirely from natural polymers, replacing both the polyethylene lining and the PFAS treatment that conventional cups rely on. It holds water, oil and grease in a single layer, seals on existing converting equipment without adhesive, and repulps in standard paper recycling streams with no segregation required. Tested to 90 degrees Celsius with boiling water and hot coffee. Commercial samples are in preparation, with deployment targeted by the end of 2026 alongside QSR chains, caterers and distributors across Europe.
PFAS-free paper cup
plastic free heat-sealable coating
PPWR compliant packaging
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