IonKraft and the EIC Accelerator: Recyclable Barrier Packaging
IonKraft, a 2021 spin-off from RWTH Aachen University's Institute of Plastics Processing founded by Montgomery Jaritz and Benedikt Heuer, applies a plasma-generated silicon oxide coating inside plastic containers. Its EIC project argued that barrier packaging relies on multi-material layers or fluorinated coatings that are not recyclable or involve PFAS, and promised "250M sustainable barrier containers produced globally by 2028", according to CORDIS.
The European Innovation Council granted €2,499,438 towards a €3.57 million project from April 2023 to June 2025 to industrialise its coating machine. The final report says a pilot machine for 5-litre containers, designed for 720 coated canisters an hour, was assembled for in-line use with a blow-moulder, passed its Factory Acceptance Test and ran a pilot production "over several weeks" with stable coating performance. A Site Acceptance Test and long-term production were still to come. In November 2024 IonKraft raised a €3.5 million seed round co-led by Merck's M Ventures and TechVision Fund, with High-Tech Gründerfonds.
Company file
- Legal entity
- IonKraft GmbH, Aachen
- Founders
- Montgomery Jaritz, Benedikt Heuer
- Product
- IONX plasma barrier coating, coating machines
- Investors
- M Ventures (Merck), TechVision Fund, High-Tech Gründerfonds
- Recognitions
- RecyClass recyclability confirmation; APR Design for Recyclability
- EIC project
- IonKraftCoating, 1 Apr 2023 to 30 Jun 2025, closed
- EIC funding
- Grant first
Where IonKraft Stands Now
IonKraft now markets its coating as IONX, a layer under 100 nanometres thick that it says works on all common packaging plastics including PET and HDPE, and whose recyclability has been confirmed by RecyClass, according to its announcement. The Association of Plastic Recyclers has also given IONX its Design for Recyclability Recognition for North America. Register records show a further capital increase in July 2026 and its 2024 accounts filed the same month, according to North Data. IonKraft has not named a customer using IONX-coated packaging in production.
The record
Plasma coating from RWTH lab to pilot line
IonKraft used the EIC grant to build an in-line pilot coating machine for 5-litre containers. It passed factory acceptance and ran a pilot production; the site acceptance test was still planned when the project ended.
- Nov 2021Company registeredRWTH Aachen spin-off
- Oct 2022EIC Accelerator cut-offIonKraftCoatinggrant first
- Apr 2023EIC project starts€3.57M project€2.50M grant
- Nov 2024Seed roundM Ventures, TechVision Fund, HTGF€3.5M
- Jun 2025EIC project endsFAT passed, pilot run; SAT planned
- Nov 2025IONX trademarkCoating brand
- 2026APR recognitionDesign for Recyclability, North America
- Jul 2026Capital increaseTerms not disclosed
CORDIS, North Data, HTGF and IonKraft.
"This financing round is a decisive step to support the market launch of our technology and to prepare for future scaling."
Benedikt Heuer, co-founder, IonKraft, November 2024The Technology: Glass Inside Plastic
IonKraft's coating is chemically bonded to the inner wall of a container and slows the passage of oxygen, carbon dioxide and other substances, the company says, so a single plastic can replace multilayer structures. The report puts barrier packaging at up to 25% of plastic packaging in some industries. HTGF describes the barrier as comparable to glass.
The money
Grants and equity recorded for IonKraft
The EIC grant was the largest single source of funding on record. The size of the 2026 capital increase was not disclosed.
CORDIS; HTGF; North Data. Values in € millions.
What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows
The EIC project
The EU paid 70% of a €3.6M project
The project ran from April 2023 to June 2025. CORDIS lists it as closed.
CORDIS project 190157248. Values in € millions.
The report originally planned the machine to be placed at a packaging producer by the end of 2024. By June 2025 it had passed factory acceptance and a pilot run, with site readiness and the Site Acceptance Test still ahead. The report lists commercial work still to do: service and spare parts, operator training, supplier quality assurance and freedom-to-operate checks. CORDIS lists the project as closed.
- Industrial pilot machineDeliveredFAT passed.
- Pilot productionDeliveredSeveral weeks, stable.
- Customer site operationPendingSAT planned.
- Market launchUnverifiedNo customer named.
The Money
Besides the EIC grant and the seed round, IonKraft received €284,000 of North Rhine-Westphalia seed aid and a €178,413 federal grant for a multi-cavity reactor in 2024, North Data lists. Its early work was supported by Germany's EXIST research transfer programme. The size of the July 2026 capital increase and IonKraft's revenue are not public.
The shareholders
Registered share capital
Nominal share capital rose with the 2024 seed round and again in July 2026, after M Ventures' parent Merck and TechVision were registered as shareholders.
North Data, IonKraft GmbH. Values in € thousands.
What Cannot Be Checked
Questions for the EIC
Whether the pilot machine passed its Site Acceptance Test, which packaging producer runs it, how many containers have been coated commercially, and how the 250 million target for 2028 is tracking are not public.
Why Europe Should Care
Fluorinated barrier treatments can form PFAS, the report says, and multilayer containers are hard to recycle. IonKraft offers a coating that could let single-material plastic containers meet barrier needs without either. The EIC funded its first industrial machine; whether it reaches the scale promised depends on customer lines not yet shown.
What the project promised
An in-line industrial coating machine at a packaging producer, leading to 250 million coated containers by 2028.
What the record shows
A tested pilot machine, a seed round, recyclability recognitions, and no named production customer.
The Verdict
Machine built, market unproven
IonKraft delivered the machine the EIC paid for and secured investors. Proof that customers are coating containers at scale is still missing.
IonKraft and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.
Industry
Materials and chemicalsPackaging materials
- Focus
- Functional packaging
- Technologies
- Plasma technology
- Keywords
- PFAS-free packaging
- Recyclable packaging
- Plastic containers
- Silicon oxide coating