Research institutes will join forces with the packaging industry in the MULTIREC consortium, to showcase to what extent polyolefin packaging (focus on polyethylene-PE) can be reprocessed and how the functional packaging properties and additive concentrations evolve upon subsequent reprocessing cycles.
Packaging is projected to maintain one of the largest target applications for plastics, currently accounting for 39.6 % of the total plastic demand in the EU, fulfilling its functional role to guarantee a high product quality with an attractive appearance for the consumers. However, in the framework of the updated EU directive 94/62/EC on packaging waste, ambitious targets are put forward for the near future: a specific growth of the recycling percentage from 55 % (current) to 70 % in 2030 has been defined for plastic packaging. Striving to a circular economy and countering resource depletion, these challenging requirements are currently provoking a shift from multi-layer packaging concepts to mono-materials solutions. Hence, the extensive (and economically non-viable) separation/sorting schemes and waste stream contamination in recyclates can be largely avoided. More specifically, adding mechanically recycled polyolefin plastic streams into polyolefin packaging films is regarded as a promising route to combat the enormous plastic waste pile ending up in landfills or incinerators. Especially, the re-processing of mono-material polyolefin films, sorted from post-consumer plastic waste, into functional flexible packaging foils for non-food applications, is currently within the technological capabilities. However, even for commodity applications, the recycled foils need to exhibit the appropriate lifetime, mechanical properties, appearance and functional characteristics for their new application. These properties strongly depend on the present additives, also fulfilling a pivotal role in the (re-)processability and the associated degradation of plastics. Therefore, the need to track the concentration distribution and the remaining functionality of these additives in recyclates cannot be underestimated.
In the current call for CORNET/TETRA projects, research institutes over the entire EU will join forces with the packaging industry in the MULTIREC consortium, to showcase to what extent polyolefin packaging (focus on polyethylene-PE) can be reprocessed and how the functional packaging properties and additive concentrations evolve upon subsequent reprocessing cycles. The support, advice and involvement of the SMEs in the flexible packaging sector is indispensable to reach the ambitious objectives, elaborated in the following paragraphs.
Project lead:
Project partners:
Wetenschapspark 27, 3590 België
Gewoon Hoogleraar
Wetenschapspark 27
3590 Diepenbeek, België
Projectingenieur