Profile: Sara De Simoni

Sara De Simoni, Vice President of Equipment Engineering at Tetra Pak, was instrumental in bringing the company into the Graphene Flagship and organising a joint Marketplace event with the project. Learn more about her motivations and experiences joining the Graphene Flagship in the interview below.

What was your motivation for having Tetra Pak join the Graphene Flagship as an Associated Member?

One of the main drivers of Tetra Pak joining the Graphene Flagship is our ambition for innovation. As the only representative from the packaging industry, our membership puts us at the forefront of cutting-edge research, enabling us to collaborate as a way to explore new ideas. Being an Associated Member of the Graphene Flagship will allow us to tap into the highest-level research centres, experts, Nobel prize winners, and producers of graphene that are fundamental to ensuring the development of quality innovation. 

What has come out of the collaboration so far? What is next for the Tetra Pak and Graphene Flagship collaboration?

Tetra Pak became an Associated Member in June 2019, with our collaboration in its early stages. We've been pleased so far to welcome Vincenzo Palermo, Vice Director of The Graphene Flagship, to our Tetra Pak site in Modena and we've met with the Nobel Laureate Konstantin Novoselov to explore potential opportunities. 

As a next step, we will host a Graphene Flagship Marketplace event at our Tetra Pak site in Modena. This occasion will bring together many experts in the field of graphene technology, alongside our expertise in food packaging to promote the collaboration and further ideation.

Tell us about the joint marketplace event between the Graphene Flagship and Tetra Pak?

At the end of October we are pleased to host a three day event on graphene technology. 

On Sunday, 27 October in the historical venue of San Carlo Church, Modena, in an event open to the public, we will have the opportunity to show how Tetra Pak are driving innovation, joined by the Nobel Prize winner Konstantin Novoselov explaining the potential of graphene technology. 

Novoselov will give another talk, on Monday, 28 October, at our Tetra Pak site in Modena during the joint Graphene Flagship Marketplace event. This event will also welcome important stakeholders like Graphene Flagship Science and Technology Officer Andrea Ferrari from Cambridge University, Anne Goldberg (Solvay), Alberto Bianco (CNRS), and Graphene Flagship Vice Director Vincenzo Palermo all sharing their expertise around the application of graphene, its potential for production, and impact on health and the environment. Prototypes from other industry partners such as Airbus and Fiat will also be exhibited.  

The event on Tuesday, 29 October, will be more technical and open the door to the industries belonging to the CRIT (consortium Research Centre and Technological Innovation) together with Tetra Pak. In summary this effort is about a collaboration of different stakeholders, academic experts, and various industries all exploring the application and potential of Graphene.