New Report Highlights Pathways to Enhance Circularity in Flexible Packaging
The Alliance to End Plastic Waste has released a report detailing the technical and economic requirements for establishing a 50,000-tonne-per-year advanced mechanical recycling facility for flexible plastics. Titled ‘The Quest for Quality: Scaling Advanced Mechanical Recycling to Meet Recycled Content Targets for Flexibles’, the report outlines essential conditions for commercial scaling, emphasizing the production of high-quality recyclates from post-consumer household flexible plastics.
The report identifies systemic enablers such as robust Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, mandated recycled content targets, and concessionary capital as critical to fostering a market-driven approach focused on premium recyclates. This initiative builds on insights from the ValueFlex project, which aimed to develop a commercially viable recycling solution for household flexible plastic packaging waste, though the facility was not constructed due to shifting macroeconomic and policy landscapes.
Key findings indicate that post-consumer household flexible materials can be transformed into recyclates suitable for over 30% use in demanding applications like shrink films and pouches. Advanced technologies such as sensor-based sorting and hot-washing are pivotal in achieving these results. The report also notes that while chemical recycling complements advanced mechanical recycling, both processes target different fractions of the flexible waste stream.
To produce high-quality recyclates, the report advocates for a shift in operational philosophy among recyclers, urging them to prioritize market demands for premium recyclates over traditional low-cost processing methods. The Alliance stresses the importance of leveraging EPR policies to close the economic gap between high-quality recycling and virgin polymers, alongside mandating recycled content targets to stimulate demand.
Furthermore, the report suggests that operators should enhance existing facilities and shift sorting responsibilities to centralized Plastics Recovery Facilities (PRFs) to create a sustainable business model.
In related developments, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published Novel Technology Numbers (NTNs) for 24 emerging technologies, including those aimed at converting hard-to-recycle polyolefins into food-contact materials, highlighting the need for infrastructural advancements to support these innovations. As brands and packaging producers prepare for the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which mandates 35% post-consumer recycled content in non-food packaging by 2030, the findings of this report are timely and critical for industry stakeholders.