Südpack Drives Advances In Chemical Recycling
August 5, 2020There is growing pressure in industry and society to improve the recyclability of plastics and to establish a closed-loop recycling system for this highly versatile packaging material. SÜDPACK, one of Europe’s leading film manufacturers, is a major driver of innovation in the industry. The company is increasingly focusing on chemical recycling of plastic waste and developing high-tech packaging films from the recovered raw materials. These raw materials have the same properties as virgin polymers and this way are suitable for packaging products with high quality and hygiene requirements, including foodstuffs. The company’s activities in this area reflect its own sustainability philosophy as well as the interests of its customers.
Some 65 percent of all packaging for food, pet food, and beverages is made from plastic. But currently only about 39 percent of packaging in Europe is recycled, with an additional 40 percent used to generate energy. In response, the EU and national governments have set ambitious targets for the volumes and percentages of packaging material that should go into a closed-loop system in the packaging industry. The targets demand a volume of 10 million tons of recycled plastic in new packaging by 2025. By 2030, all plastic packaging on the European market should be reusable or recyclable at low cost. And for composite packaging, the German Packaging Law requires a total recycling quota of 70 percent by mass as from 2022.
SÜDPACK believes chemical recycling of plastic waste is a promising approach to
meet these ambitious targets – and a way to develop a closed-loop model that
actually works. Food manufacturers and packaging companies will also benefit
from using the recycled material and complying with regulations. “As a market
and innovation leader, we’re acutely aware of our social and environmental
responsibility. That’s why we’re working hard on developing concepts,
technologies and concrete solutions that save resources and protect the
environment. However, it’s vital that all players in the value chain work
together to really achieve positive change,” explains Carolin Grimbacher,
Managing Partner and responsible for Research & Development at SÜDPACK.
Chemical recycling makes it possible to re-use a much larger quantity of
plastic. The process can also recover raw material from contaminated, mixed,
multi-layer, or other plastics which cannot currently be recycled. The
recovered material can then go into producing new plastics. Another advantage
is that plastic made from chemically recycled material can be chemically
recycled again without any loss of quality.
Chemical recycling involves a high-temperature process in which complex waste
plastics are converted into raw materials such as pyrolysis oil or synthesis
gas. These are ideal substitutes for conventional crude oil at the beginning of
the chemical production chain. The share of recycled material in the final
products is calculated using a mass-balance method verified by an independent
auditor. The materials have the same high quality and performance
characteristics as new products.
Chemically recycled materials are also suitable for the production of films
which will be applied for packaging sensitive products such as food. This is an
essential aspect for SÜDPACK, a company that prioritizes product safety not
only for consumers, but also for the environment, and is committed to
sustainability. The use of mechanically recovered recyclates is heavily regulated
due to strict hygiene requirements, especially in the post-consumer packaging
segment. PET flakes used in the middle layer of packaging films must come from
EFSA-certified companies.
At present, packaging made of 100% recycled plastic is not viable for sensitive
goods such as food and medical products. The necessary legal framework is not
in place, and the materials do not provide the special product protection and
barrier properties required. “We won’t be able to do without composite films
for food packaging in the future, even if we can use more and more recycled
materials. That’s because the ‘enhanced’ recycling required by the German
Packaging Law is not yet possible with these packaging materials. So we see
chemical recycling as a useful addition to mechanical recycling and as a more
sustainable alternative to thermal utilization or landfill,” says Carolin
Grimbacher.
The first pioneering projects have already transferred to the real world. For
example, the packaging of Zottarella mozzarella products from the Gourmet Dairy
Zott consists of a multilayer film from SÜDPACK that uses chemically recycled
polyamide from BASF. This cuts the share of primary fossil raw materials in
their production by around 25 percent compared to conventional materials. The
highly innovative packaging for the new product line from poultry sausage brand
Gutfried was developed jointly with Zur Mühlen Group (Gutfried), BASF, and
SABIC. It also contains a share of about two thirds of chemically recycled
plastic. The hygienic composite film packaging features the same high product
protection and performance as new packaging, but with a far lower level of
resource consumption.
Carolin Grimbacher: “With chemical recycling, we can already significantly
improve the resource efficiency of our solutions without any concessions in
terms of functionality and safety.”
However, SÜDPACK believes it will take several stages before the technology
becomes a firm feature in the waste management industry. Another important step
toward reducing plastic waste and pollution is the establishment of closed
re-use cycles or recycling streams for flexible packaging. The regulatory
framework will also play a key role on the path to market maturity. Developers
need to find out how far chemical recycling and the mass-balance method can go
toward meeting statutory recycling quotas. Both procedures also still have to
acquire legal recognition.
For SÜDPACK, the current trends are just the beginning. “We will continue to
systematically push ahead with the development of new processes and
technologies in the future. We’re committed to our goal of better, higher
quality, and cheaper plastics recycling on an industrial scale,” says Carolin
Grimbacher.