Circular Packaging for Direct Food Contact Applications

Project Information

CIRCULAR FoodPack

Grant agreement ID: 101003806

DOI

10.3030/101003806

Project closed

EC signature date 7 May 2021

Start date 1 June 2021

End date 30 November 2024

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Climate action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials

Total cost

€ 5 366 698,00

EU contribution

€ 5 366 698,00

Coordinated by

FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG EV
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - CIRCULAR FoodPack (Circular Packaging for Direct Food Contact Applications)

Reporting period: 2023-12-01 to 2024-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

CIRCULAR FoodPack aims to enable the circular use of plastic packaging, focusing on the most sensitive product category: food packaging. This sector accounts for 87% of all European flexible plastic-plastic multi-layer laminates, due to its stringent requirements for food preservation and safety. However, currently these multi-material laminates cannot be recycled using state-of-the-art mechanical recycling processes, amongst others due to the presence of incompatible polymers. As a result, even when collected, these multi-material laminates are typically sent to landfill or incineration.

If flexible packaging waste were collected and recycled, the resulting post-consumer recyclates (PCRs) could not easily be reused in food packaging applications. This is because the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) prohibits the use of PCRs in food packaging unless they are derived exclusively from a closed and controlled product loop. Since the collection of flexible food packaging does not operate within a closed loop, true circularity for this packaging type is not yet achievable. Moreover, recycled polymers derived from less demanding mono-film waste fractions often underperform and are unsuitable for use in food packaging applications. This is mainly due to the presence of both intentionally added substances (IAS) and non-intentionally added substances (NIAS), which undermine the safety and functionality of the recyclates. These challenges continue to pose significant barriers to realizing circularity in flexible food packaging.

Addressing the annual 2 million tonnes of European multi-layer food packaging, which hampers the recycling of 17.8 million tonnes of food packaging waste, the project CIRCULAR FoodPack has significant potential for the flexible packaging and food sectors. The project is implemented by an interdisciplinary team of 5 RTOs (Fraunhofer IVV , Ghent University (UGENT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Maastricht University (UM), National Technical University of Athens (NTUA)), 5 SMEs (BayFOR, Ecozept, IRIS, KREYEN and POLY), and 5 large industrial partners (AMCOR-G, AMCOR-K, NESTLE, SIEGWERK and SUEZ). The approach addresses the challenges of sorting, separating, and recycling multi-layered flexible materials used for food packaging. The solutions enable the reuse of secondary raw materials in the same high-value product sector.

The process starts with collection and sorting of packaging waste, with polyethylene (PE) being the primary polymer used in flexible packaging applications in this project. Tracer-based sorting (TBS) technology separates food packaging from other flexible household packaging waste. These sorted food packaging items then undergo pre-treatment and recycling processes and post-consumer recyclates (PE PCRs) are produced. The project follows “advanced physical recycling,” incorporating technologies such as delamination/deinking followed by mechanical recycling or dissolution-based recycling, and thermally assisted deodorization. Cleaning efficiency of the recycling proceses has been evaluated through challenge tests.

Innovative, recyclable, food-safe PE based mono-material laminates are designed that allow PE PCR reuse in food packaging marked with deinkable tracers. This closed loop creates a future circular economy for food packaging, with TBS ensuring the sorting of food-grade materials. To prevent contaminant migration from PCRs to food, recyclates have been significantly purified in the course of recycling and new functional barriers have been developed and included in the new food packaging in addition. Demonstrators are produced for food and home/personal care packaging. Product characterization, food contact compliance testing, life cycle assessments (LCA), life cycle cost assessments (LCC), social LCA, and business modeling supported the development and scaling of new packaging.

CIRCULAR FoodPack directly supports the EU Plastics Strategy by increasing plastic waste recycling rates, improving the quality of recycled polymers, and developing innovative flexible packaging designs that are optimized for and from recycling. The project aligns with key legislative frameworks, including the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulations (PPWR), Recycling Regulation (EU) 2022/1616, and the Food Contact Materials legislation (EC No 1935/2004), among others.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The main results achieved with Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) of the developed technologies:

• Tracer-based sorting (TBS) achieves 99% sorting purity in flexible food packaging from household plastic post-consumer packaging waste (TRL:5-6)
• Novel delamination & deinking, deodorization treatments: Odor removal by 95% (TRL:6) and ink removal over 95% (TRL:5)
• Increased purity of PE PCR with dissolution-based recycling technology at pre-commercial stage (25 kg/h) (TRL: 7)
• Cleaning efficiencies of the novel recycling cascades determined through challenge tests for PE
• Traceable, recyclable flexible packaging with more than 50% PE PCR in non-food, and 30% in food packaging behind functional barriers (TRL:5-6)
• Machinability tests for pouch filling process were successfully conducted at an upscaled production level
• Comprehensive sustainability assessments of the new value chains including LCA, LCC
• Market approves the CIRCULAR FoodPack approach

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The impact of the project fits well with the aims of the European Circular Economy Strategy, European Green Deal, and the requirements of the new EU Regulation PPWR.

a) Increase yield and quality when sorting products made of composite or multi-layer materials:
High performance sorting with TBS is demonstrated, reaching 99% purity at industrially typical throughput rates.
SBS sorting demonstrated to increase the yield of a commonly sorted PE-rich fraction by approximately 8%.

b) Increased recycling of raw materials from products made of composite or multi-layer materials, in terms of volume and/or quality:
The project developed several pre- and post-treatment processes to achieve recyclates with high purity.
By designing novel packaging structures for circularity as input materials e.g. for B2B Use case, we contribute to an increased recyclability of packaging

c) Reduced use of virgin raw materials:
A laminate structure with high quality PE PCR at 50% was successfully trialed for packaging production.
This leads to reduced use of virgin raw materials.

d) Increased knowledge on the design for reuse and recycling (“circular design”) of products currently made of composite or multi-layer materials:
The knowledge gained on types of pigments causing readsorption onto plastics and types of pigments/VOCs requiring harsher/more laborious conditions to be removed would orient the current design of plastics and help to search for tailored more advanced recycling technologies.
By comparing the performance of the circular food packaging demonstrators with current products, an in-depth understanding of the contribution of advances compared to the state-of-the-art is gained.

e) Increased knowledge on the process environmental footprint, including the net effects on greenhouse gas emissions, of improved sorting, separation and recycling of composite ad multi-layer materials:
Holistic LCA is applied to every step of the new processes and the demonstrators.
Recommendations in terms of LCA hotspots, product information, tracking and optimal use of PCRs throughout the lifecycle are provided.

CIRCULAR FoodPack flexible packaging demonstrators: Copyright Kevin Gonzalez (Amcor)

picture1.jpg