The group, which also includes Schneider Electric, PSA, Arkema and l’Oreal, is funding a Chair in Bioplastics at Ecole des Mines de Paris. The research will study the properties of polymers derived from renewable resources, as well as their industrial applications.

As well as contributing €60,000 per year for five years, Nestle has also pledged to bring its experience of bioplastics and packaging to the project

Nestle’s Head of Global Packaging Dr Anne Roulin said: ““We consider that this is the beginning of a new era of bioplastics. Today we are just at the start of a long journey in research and development, and a lot more scientific and technical work is required before we have materials that are truly adapted to food packaging needs and can be used on a large scale.”