Packaging teams are under increasing pressure to increase recycled content, reduce packaging material and improve sustainability performance without compromising packaging quality, operational efficiency or customer experience. These competing priorities have become one of the biggest challenges facing modern packaging.
At Duo, these challenges led us to ask a different question:
Could advanced materials help address these challenges?
That question ultimately led to the development of 2DPE™, our graphene-enhanced polyethylene packaging material, developed in partnership with the University of Manchester’s Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC). But before explaining 2DPE™, it helps to understand graphene, the breakthrough material that made it possible.
What is Graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal honeycomb structure. Just one atom thick, graphene is recognised globally for its exceptional strength, low weight, flexibility and thermal conductivity. These unique characteristics have helped make it one of the world’s most researched advanced materials.
Perhaps the simplest way to understand graphene is to think about graphite, the material found in pencil lead. Graphite is made up of millions of layers of graphene stacked together. A single sheet of graphene is simply one of those layers isolated on its own.
For decades, scientists believed it would be impossible to isolate and study a material just one atom thick. In 2004, researchers at The University of Manchester proved otherwise.
The Manchester Discovery That Changed Materials Science
That belief changed in 2004 when researchers at The University of Manchester successfully isolated graphene for the first time.
Using a surprisingly simple technique involving adhesive tape and graphite, Sir Andre Geim and Professor Konstantin Novoselov isolated a single layer of carbon atoms, opening the door to an entirely new field of materials science. Just six years later, the pair were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their ground breaking work.
More than two decades later, graphene remains one of the world’s most researched advanced materials, with applications being explored across aerospace, automotive manufacturing, electronics, energy storage and advanced materials.
Why Duo Set Out to Develop a New Packaging Material
The launch of 2DPE™ represents one of the most significant innovation projects in Duo’s history.
Developed through more than a year of research, testing and commercial trials, the material combines advanced graphene technology with practical packaging expertise to create a new generation of flexible packaging solutions. For us, this launch is about more than introducing a new material.
It’s about exploring how advanced materials can help organisations address some of the biggest packaging challenges they face today, including increasing recycled content, reducing packaging material and maintaining packaging performance.
What is 2DPE™?
2DPE™ is Duo’s proprietary graphene-enhanced polyethylene packaging material. By combining the strength-enhancing properties of graphene with polyethylene, 2DPE™ has been developed specifically for flexible packaging applications.
- Auto-Bagging Film
Developed for fulfilment operations seeking increased recycled content, downgauging opportunities, improved heat-sealing performance and enhanced operational efficiency.
- Ecommerce Mailing Bags
Developed to help retailers reduce packaging material, support EPR objectives and maintain the quality, durability and customer experience their brands depend upon. With future opportunities being explored across a broader range of flexible packaging formats.
By incorporating graphene technology into polyethylene, 2DPE™ enables the development of flexible packaging products that can:
- Increase recycled content
- Reduce reliance on virgin plastic
- Support lightweighting initiatives
- Improve material efficiency
- Maintain packaging performance
- Support long-term sustainability goals
Why Graphene?
For Duo, the interest in graphene was never simply its scientific significance. The question was whether its unique properties could help address some of the challenges customers were bringing to us around recycled content, material reduction, packaging performance and operational efficiency. That exploration ultimately led to the development of 2DPE™.
Why Packaging Teams Are Looking for New Material Technologies
Businesses are increasingly looking for ways to increase recycled content, reduce packaging material and improve packaging sustainability whilst preparing for future requirements such as PPWR and EPR. At the same time, they need packaging solutions that continue to deliver operational performance, product protection and customer experience.
Many organisations are working towards:
- Higher recycled content
- Reduced packaging material
- Lower carbon emissions
- Improved resource efficiency
- PPWR preparedness
- EPR objectives
At the same time, products still need to be protected, operations still need to run efficiently and customer experience cannot be compromised.
These competing demands are one of the reasons organisations are increasingly exploring new approaches to packaging design, material efficiency and packaging performance. For Duo, that exploration led to 2DPE™.
Why This Matters
The challenge facing packaging teams is no longer understanding what needs to improve. The challenge is how to improve sustainability performance without creating new compromises elsewhere.
As legislation evolves and expectations continue to increase, organisations need packaging solutions that can support environmental improvements without introducing unnecessary complexity or operational risk. 2DPE™ represents one example of how advanced materials science and practical packaging expertise can come together to address those challenges.
The result is a new flexible packaging material designed to help businesses make progress without compromise.
Looking Ahead
The launch of 2DPE™ marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Duo.
We’re already working with customers to explore additional applications, gather further performance data and understand how graphene-enhanced materials can support a wider range of packaging requirements.
As organisations continue to rethink how packaging is designed, specified and managed, innovation will play an increasingly important role in helping them navigate change.
We believe 2DPE™ represents an important example of how advanced materials science and packaging expertise can come together to help businesses make progress without compromise.
Let’s Explore What’s Possible Within Your Packaging Specification
2DPE™ is already being applied within Auto-Bagging Film and Ecommerce Mailing Bags to help organisations increase recycled content, reduce material consumption and maintain performance.
If you’re reviewing packaging specifications, EPR costs, recycled-content targets or material reduction opportunities, our team would be happy to discuss how 2DPE™ could support your objectives.
Book a Consultation
Discuss a Trial
Contact the 2DPE™ Team
📧 [email protected]
📞 +44 (0)161 203 5767