Stronger policy and investment support will be required to scale the technology capable of increasing recycled content in flexible plastic packaging, the Alliance to End Plastic Waste has said in a new report.
In the report, The Quest for Quality: Scaling Advanced Mechanical Recycling to Meet Recycled Content Targets for Flexibles, the alliance explored the technical and economic feasibility of a 50,000-tonne-per-year advanced mechanical recycling facility designed to process household flexible plastic waste.
As it found, advanced mechanical recycling can enable more than 30% recycled content in demanding flexible packaging applications, complementing chemical recycling across the flexible plastics waste stream.
Flexible plastic packaging currently accounts for more than half of the global plastic packaging market, however it remains one of the most difficult formats to recycle.
‘Challenging format’
“Flexible plastic packaging is one of the most challenging packaging formats to recycle at scale, but it is also one of the most important to get right,” commented said Jacob Duer, president and CEO, Alliance to End Plastic Waste.
“The technology needed to produce high-quality recyclates already exists. The challenge now is scaling these solutions commercially through stronger alignment across the value chain, supported by the policy and financial enablers needed to unlock investment.”
Preparing for PPWR
The alliance’s report comes as firms prepare for the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which mandates 35% post-consumer recycled content in non-food packaging by 2030.
Among the measures suggested to enhance the commercial viability of flexible plastic packaging recyclability are Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, mandatory recycled content requirements and access to concessionary finance, as well as upgrading existing recycling facilities and shifting complex sorting processes upstream.
“At the Alliance, our role is to bring together stakeholders and accelerate the adoption of scalable solutions,” Duer added. “The Quest for Quality is an important step in that effort, providing practical insights to help advance circularity for flexible plastics.” Read more here.
