PET bottles can be recycled into new food packaging. Large-scale recovery systems and recycling procedures have become established since many years. PET bottles made of 100 % post-consumer recyclate are already available in the market, and a version made of renewable raw materials also exists. No other packaging plastic can show such a positive balance. Nonetheless, PET is under criticism.

Bottles blow-molded from preforms are among the products that can be produced from recycled PET; about two thirds of PET recyclates are used to produce films, secondary packaging such as strapping bands or substrates, as well as fibers, better known as fleece

Prime Material for a Circular Economy

Verpackungsmaterial

Logistik

Recycling

Umweltmanagement

Polyethylenterephthalat

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Thermoplaste

Technische Kunststoffe

Kunststoff-Recycling

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)

Faerch and Erema realize closed loop for PET food packaging.

16:9

Verpackungsmittel aus Kunststoffen

Kunststoffverarbeitung

Verpackungstechnik

Kreislaufwirtschaft

Closed the Loop for PET Trays

Mohinani is bringing PET bottle-to-bottle recycling to West Africa and is buying two Starlinger plants for this purpose.

The recoSTAR PET iV+ recycling lines produce food-grade rPET that can be used up to 100% in PET preform production.

Bottle-to-Bottle-Recycling in Ghana

Because of its good temperature resistance, impact resistance and aesthetics appearance, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene is often used in household goods and in the automotive industry. The development of a circular economy also shows successes.

More than half of the world’s ABS consumption is accounted for by household and E&E equipment

Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS)

Elektronik

Automotive

Kunststoffe

Photonik

Optik

Polystyrol

ABS / ASA-Kunststoffe

Sustainable Growth

Plastic waste in the sea has been shaping the negative image of the industry for several years. Various initiatives and mergers of companies have therefore launched projects to tackle this Ocean-bound Plastics (OBP). Components made of OBP could become a symbol for a sustainable use of plastics.

Community collection for bottles in Haiti

Flame Retardant for Compounds Based on Recycled Ocean-Bound Plastics

Polybutylenterephthalat

Flammschutzmittel

Additive

From the Sea to Electronics

Electrical and electronics manufacturers want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their products and optimize waste management and recycling for them. This can be achieved, among other ways, by using more sustainable thermoplastics and quality-assured recyclates. A close cooperation between companies to establish material cycles and the recycling-friendly design of equipment are also important.

Driving Sustainability Trends in the Electrical and Electronics Industry with Polymers

Polycarbonat

Kunststoff-Rezyklat

Support for a Greener E&E World

Sabic cooperates with UPM Raflatac to introduce a packaging label material based on recycled ocean bound plastic.

Standardkunststoffe

First Label Material from Marine Plastics

The increasing demand for recyclates and the shortage of food-grade PET flakes pose challenges for batch quality and color consistency.

Repi offers various additives for recycling PET, which can be used, for example, to prevent the material from darkening.

Messe K-Kunststoffmesse

kunststoffe-international.com

kunststoffe.de

Compensating for Darkening in Recycled PET

The goal of the European Union (EU) to recycle all plastic packaging in Europe in an economically viable manner by 2030 is exerting enormous pressure on the packaging industry. It is very common that packaging films are made of different materials, and this causes challenges since they are often not easy to recycle.

For these stand-up pouches, counter-printed stiff PE carrier films were laminated with sealing films with low temperature sealants 

Designing Food and Consumer Packaging for Recyclability

Polyethylen

Can One Material Be Enough?

Renouncement is the trend that determines public perception of plastics today. Many consumers prefer products that are better for the environment, which is often equated to using less plastics. It is true, though, that plastics are important materials when it comes to finding answers to the challenges posed by the increase in population, high energy demand as well as growing urbanization and mobility.

Dr. Michael Zobel, Vice-President at PlasticsEurope Deutschland e. V. and Managing Director, High Performance Materials, at Lanxess Deutschland GmbH, Dormagen, Germany

Guest Commentary by Dr. Michael Zobel

Leichtbau

Kunststoff

Bauwesen

Baustoffe

Kunststoffhandel

Dienstleistungen

Handel

Werkstoff

The Answer to Many Questions

Statutory recyclate quotas and the specifications of brand-name producers are weighing heavily on the packaging branch these days and turning recyclate availability into a hot issue. Some polymers are simply not available in sufficient amounts. Experts at the 31st Dresden Packaging Conference provided insights into the current situations and explained why the situation could worsen in the future.

Recyclates of many polymer types are hard to get right now.

Streifinger, Florian

Hard-to-Find Recylates

KLK OLEO offers bio-based ingredients that are used in plastic products to impart wide-ranging benefits, from process optimisation to improved part performance.

KL-Kepong Industrial Holdings Sdn Bhd.  

https://www.klkoleo.com

Spritzgießen

Thermoplastische Elastomere

Verbundwerkstoffe / Werkstoffverbunde

Biokunststoffe

Additive Fertigung

Warmformen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Warmformen / Thermoformen

Blasformen

Pressen und Warmformmaschinen

Kunststoffverarbeitungsmaschinen

Hochleistungskunststoffe

Extrudieren (KU)

Compoundieren

Due to the climate change, new fields of development and sustainability topics have come into focus along the added-value chain.

Polyamide continues to be one of the most important technical plastics in the automotive sector, where it enjoys widespread use. This not only applies for classical internal combustion vehicles, but in terms of volume will also be the case for electric vehicles.

Polyamides: Electromobility and Sustainability Boost Developments

Elektromobilität

Mobilität

Polyamide

Dual Change with Polyamides

Innovative leadership through forward-looking technology concepts. ENTEX Rust & Mitschke GmbH is the leading manufacturer of Planetary Roller Extruders. ENTEX owns more than 160 registered property rights for the continuously developed products and additional systems. The product portfolio also includes tempering systems and calander rolls.

ENTEX Rust & Mitschke GmbH  

https://www.entex.de

Aufbereitungsmaschinen

Duroplaste

Extrusion

Industrie 4.0

Silikone

Temperieren

Wärmebehandlung

Erema enters a new dimension with large-scale recycling plants. Up to 40,000 tonnes per year of rPET can now be produced. The first plant of this size has been shipped to Brazil.

The reactor of the Vacurema T large-scale plant almost reaches the roof of the new Erema production hall, which was commissioned in 2021.

Extrusionsanlagen

Extrusions-Zubehör

XXL Recycling Plant for Brazil

Closed Recycling Loop for PET-Based Multilayer

Strategic partnership delivers best practice example of a closed recycling loop for PET-based multilayer.

Multilayer packaging based on PET can have a bright and sustainable future. This is the message of the strategic partnership of four leading technology companies, whose closed-loop recycling model is sparking new discussions on the role PET-based multilayer will play in tomorrow’s packaging industry.

The European Green Deal requires all packaging to be reusable or recyclable by 2030 – a regulation that is perceived as particularly challenging for multilayer packaging, since its layers first need to be separated before entering recycling streams. However, that perception could be about to change. Sulayr, a recycling company operating in Europe, has successfully commercialized a multilayer recycling process that achieves ‘closed-loop’ status and enables PET to be reused with virtually zero waste. With this, a circular economy practice for PET containing packaging materials already exists, but this process can be improved and become more practical and effective, if the whole value chain works together with the target to make the separation of the layers easier.

Industrial adhesives specialist BASF, packaging machinery OEM Bobst and films expert Evertis are supporting Sulayr in this endeavour. Together, the companies form a strategic partnership combining expertise from across the entire packaging value chain. Their collaborative contributions are key to the success of this impressive recycling process, and its potential for adoption at a bigger scale.

At the core of the process is a multilayer film produced by Evertis, comprising polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene (PE) layers, laminated with a BASF’ Epotal water-based adhesive and processed with a Bobst coater. Multilayer films are used for various packaging materials; after use, the waste is delivered to sorting facilities. Sulayr can use the so-called waste as raw material, ensuring a closed-loop. The company separates the multilayers and makes the PET available for re-use, with recycled PET delivered to Evertis and other film producers who then restart the cycle.

Closed-Loop Economy for PET-Based Multilayer Green Deal-Compliant

This is seen as an important step towards universal recycling of PET, enabling its continued use in a Green Deal-compliant packaging economy. The process can apply to post-consumer and post-industrial waste – meaning it has enormous potential to transform the entire PET-based packaging use model.

Sulayr has been able to separate different types of multilayers since 2009, but the speed and cost-effectiveness of the process depends on the debonding of the films. Miguel Ángel Arena, CEO of Sulayr, said: “Our technologies enable us to delaminate most types of PET-containing multilayers and bring the recycled PET back to the industry. However, we see a difference in the trays coming from the post-use phase to our facility. With BASF’s water-based Epotal adhesives for example, our separation process is simplified, because the adhesive allows a quick and easy separation with a high quality of the recyclates which is not the case with solvent-based adhesives for example. We are sure that a streamlined process can help scale up the recyclability of PET-based multilayers, giving the packaging industry a new way to meet its sustainability challenges.”

One way to optimize the recycling process is to produce all PET/PE trays under specific conditions that facilitate easy separation. This is an area in which the partners are collaborating: before bringing a new laminate to market, Evertis for example, qualifies it to be recyclable in Sulayr’s process, ensuring its layers can be separated easily.

The four partners emphasize that collaboration, as well as cutting-edge technology, is key to the success of the process. Thomas Peter Schiele, Vice President Adhesives, Fiber Bonding and Paper Coating Chemicals at BASF, commented: “This collaboration can be game-changing for the future of flexible packaging. It demonstrates that a circular economy for PET-based packaging is commercially possible – if we all work together. When it comes to recycling and debonding on multilayers we see good results with our water-based adhesives which can be key in this process, and we are confident that we can improve this process even further. At BASF, we are working on special adhesives that enable even easier separation under certain conditions. The more we do to demonstrate the viability of the process, the quicker it can become standard for all lamination adhesives – which would take the recycling of multilayers to the next level.”

Rui Silva, Chief Product and Innovation Officer at Evertis said: “This cooperation is a best practice for the packaging industry and significant for the future of multilayer packaging materials. The requirements of the Green Deal compel us all to do everything within our power to scale up the sustainability of our products, and to implement systemic changes to future-proof our industry. I am proud of the contribution this project makes to that goal.”

Sulayr and its collaboration partners also hope to change industry perceptions on a wider basis. Multilayers based on PET are necessary for many industrial uses, but were not thought of as a sustainable solution – until now. This best-practice process could change the conversations about PET, waste, and sustainability that are taking place within value chain leaders and packaging associations, such as Petcore and Ceflex.

“We want to move forward, collaboratively as one industry, towards a sustainable future for all forms of flexible packaging. As a manufacturer of printing and converting machinery, we have a duty to contribute to a future-proof, recyclable solution,” said Sara Alexander, Marketing and Communication Manager Flexible Packaging at Bobst. “We have done so by developing our equipment platform in terms of the most suited coating technology, process agility and speed with water-based adhesives to meet the project’s scope. Now, thanks to all the partners’ contribution, we have an opportunity to secure that future for PET-based multilayer laminates.”

By collaborating and optimizing further with our respective technologies, solutions and expertise, we can close the loop on packaging material recycling and create a more circular economy for packaging that begins and reoccurs with end-of-life products.

BASF SE  

https://www.basf.com

Best practice example of a closed recycling loop for PET-based multilayer.