The Story Behind the World's Most Remarkable Material
When Duo launched new advanced material 2DPE™ a new graphene-enhanced packaging material in September 2026, one of the most common questions asked was:
What exactly is Graphene?
Graphene has been described as a “wonder material”, a “super material” and even one of the most important scientific discoveries of the 21st century. Yet despite years of research breakthroughs, many people outside the scientific community still aren’t entirely sure what it is or why it matters.
For Duo, the question wasn’t simply what graphene is.
The more important question was:
Could graphene help solve some of the biggest challenges facing modern packaging? The answer to that question ultimately became 2DPE™.
The Manchester Discovery that changed materials science
The breakthrough took place at The University of Manchester in 2004 when Sir Andre Geim and Professor Konstantin Novoselov successfully isolated graphene for the first time.
What’s remarkable is the simplicity of the experiment. Using ordinary adhesive (sticky) tape, the researchers repeatedly peeled thin layers of graphite until they eventually isolated flakes that were just one atom thick. The technique later became known as the “Scotch Tape Method”.
The discovery challenged long-held assumptions within materials science and launched an entirely new field of research focused on two-dimensional materials.
Just six years later, in 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their ground breaking work.
More than twenty years later, graphene remains one of the most researched advanced materials in the world.
Why Did Duo Explore Graphene?
The story of 2DPE™ did not start with graphene, it started with customer challenges.
Across retail, ecommerce and manufacturing, packaging teams are under increasing pressure to:
- Increase recycled content
- Reduce packaging material
- Lower carbon emissions
- Improve sustainability performance
- Prepare for evolving legislation, including PPWR and EPR
At the same time, packaging still needs to perform.
Products must arrive safely.
Packing operations must run efficiently.
Customer experience must be protected.
For many businesses, these competing demands create difficult trade-offs.
Use less material but maintain strength.
Increase recycled content but maintain performance.
Improve sustainability whilst maintaining operational efficiency.
These were the challenges customers were bringing to Duo. The question wasn’t whether graphene was an interesting material it was whether it could help address these challenges.
What makes Graphene different?
Graphene’s importance comes from the fact that it combines a collection of properties rarely found together in a single material.
It is:
- Extremely strong
- Exceptionally lightweight
- Flexible
- Highly conductive
- Thermally efficient
- Nearly transparent
- Just one atom thick
These characteristics have led researchers around the world to investigate graphene across aerospace, automotive manufacturing, electronics, energy storage, advanced materials and countless other applications.
For Duo, the focus became understanding whether those same properties could be applied within flexible packaging.
From Scientific Breakthrough to Packaging Innovation
When graphene was first isolated in Manchester, nobody was trying to solve a packaging challenge.
The discovery was driven by scientific curiosity.
The packaging application came later.
As sustainability expectations increased and legislation continued to evolve, Duo identified an opportunity to explore whether graphene could help create a new generation of packaging materials capable of balancing sustainability objectives with operational performance.
To explore that opportunity, Duo partnered with the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC), University of Manchester.
The collaboration was driven by a shared ambition to address some of the biggest challenges facing packaging teams today, including material reduction, recycled content and operational performance.
What Is 2DPE™?
2DPE™ is Duo’s graphene-enhanced polyethylene packaging material.
Developed in partnership with the University of Manchester’s Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre, 2DPE™ combines graphene technology with polyethylene to create a new packaging material designed specifically for flexible packaging applications.
Today, 2DPE™ is already being applied within:
Auto-Bagging Film
Helping fulfilment operations increase recycled content, explore downgauging opportunities and reduce energy consumption whilst maintaining heat-sealing performance and operational consistency.
Ecommerce Mailing Bags
Helping retailers increase recycled content, reduce packaging material and manage EPR costs whilst maintaining the quality, durability and customer experience their brands depend upon.
Additional flexible packaging applications are already in development.
Why This Matters
When graphene was isolated in Manchester in 2004, nobody was trying to solve a packaging challenge.
More than twenty years later, Duo saw an opportunity to apply that breakthrough to one of the biggest challenges facing packaging today.
How do you increase recycled content, reduce material consumption and improve sustainability performance without compromising packaging quality, operational efficiency or customer experience?
That challenge became the foundation for 2DPE™.
Developed in partnership with the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC), University of Manchester, 2DPE™ represents the point where world-leading materials science meets practical packaging expertise.
The result is a new flexible packaging material designed specifically to help businesses make progress without compromise.
Explore 2DPE™
Whether you’re looking to increase recycled content, reduce packaging material, lower EPR costs, improve operational efficiency or prepare for future packaging requirements, we’d be happy to discuss how 2DPE™ could support your packaging strategy.
Request a Packaging Review
Explore Trial Opportunities
Speak to a Packaging Specialist
📧 [email protected]
📞 +44 (0)161 203 5767
Source: History | Graphene at Manchester