IN Brief:
- Purple Planet Packaging is distributing OKIO cling film to professional kitchens in the UK.
- The film combines compostable PBAT with ViKang plant extract derived from upcycled food waste.
- Certification, segregation, handling performance, and disposal infrastructure will determine its practical value in commercial kitchens.
N&E Innovations has secured UK foodservice distribution for its OKIO home-compostable cling film through Purple Planet Packaging, taking the material into professional kitchens as an alternative to conventional PVC-based wrap.
The UK range includes 450 mm-wide rolls in 300 m and 600 m formats. Purple Planet’s technical listing identifies the finished film as a PBAT compostable polymer incorporating ViKang plant extract derived from upcycled cashew shells. The product is PVC-free and carries TÜV Austria OK compost HOME certification.
That description is more precise than some launch material presenting the film simply as being made from tropical fruit waste. N&E’s ViKang technology originates from upcycled food waste, but the commercial cling film combines that plant-derived material with PBAT. The distinction is important when buyers compare feedstocks, polymer content, and end-of-life claims.
The film is being sold for routine professional preparation work, including covering bowls, catering trays, sandwiches, and ingredients. Purple Planet supplies the 300 m product in a dispenser box and offers the longer format for higher-volume users.
Home compostability provides a different disposal route from conventional flexible plastics, but certification does not remove the need for segregation. Purple Planet tells users to keep the material out of normal plastic recycling and to confirm whether commercial waste contractors will accept it. A compostable film entering the wrong waste stream can remain contamination rather than becoming a useful recovered material.
The certification is currently listed as valid until 30 September 2030. Actual breakdown still depends on composting conditions, so the designation should not be read as a guarantee that discarded film disappears rapidly in every environment.
The product has also been subjected to food contact, PFAS, REACH, non-intentionally added substances, and chilled food testing. Purple Planet reports that no PFAS were detected within the methods’ detection limits and lists supporting test documentation for the commercial film.
A three-day chilled comparison at 2–4°C found lower total viable counts on days two and three for food wrapped in OKIO than for the comparator film used in the test. The result applies to the samples and conditions tested and does not establish a general shelf-life extension across different foods, temperatures, handling practices, or storage periods.
Normal hygiene and temperature controls therefore remain unchanged. An antimicrobial or compostable packaging component does not replace cleaning, chilled storage, labelling, or use-by management in a professional kitchen.
Operational performance will be equally decisive. Cling film is a low-value consumable used repeatedly during food preparation, which makes poor stretch, weak cling, tearing, awkward dispensing, or excessive material use immediately visible to staff. A sustainability argument quickly loses force if the replacement material slows preparation or forces kitchens to use more film per task.
The same principle applies to packaging used on manufacturing lines. Recent industrial trials of compostable food packaging have shown that lower-impact materials still have to tolerate machinery, sealing, moisture, handling, and production speeds before they become credible replacements for incumbent structures.
Foodservice cling film faces different machinery demands, but the commercial test is similarly practical. It has to stretch, seal, dispense cleanly, protect food, and remain available at a price and roll length compatible with high-frequency use.
The material composition also illustrates why environmental claims around flexible packaging need precision. PBAT is a compostable polyester; the ViKang component introduces plant-derived material recovered from a waste stream. Those are separate attributes, and neither should be confused with the certification of the finished film.
N&E Innovations was established in Singapore in 2020 and has developed ViKang for packaging and other material applications. Its partnership with Purple Planet provides a dedicated UK distribution route rather than requiring the company to build its own national foodservice sales network.
The UK launch now moves OKIO from materials development and certification into repetitive commercial use. Kitchens will determine whether the film performs closely enough to established wrap for compostability to influence routine purchasing rather than remaining the feature that attracts attention at launch.
Disposal will remain the less convenient half of that equation. A certified home-compostable film has a credible defined end-of-life route, but only if users understand where to put it and the waste system receiving it can handle the material as intended.