Project description
Food packaging enters the circular economy
Food packaging applies a large share of all European flexible plastic-plastic multilayer composites (MLC), which are not recyclable by current processes. The EU-funded CIRCULAR FoodPack project will address this challenge and facilitate the circular use of plastic packaging by producing high-quality recycled polyethylene using sensor-based specification or tracer-based sorting, deinking and thermally assisted deodorisation as well as solvent-based or mechanical recycling processes. The innovative designs of recyclable and food-safe mono-material laminates will enable reuse in high-value film applications, with upcoming food packaging marking with deinkable tracers. This will allow food packaging to be included in the circular economy, enabling reuse in the same high-value product sector by removing undesirable substances from secondary raw materials.
Objective
CIRCULAR FoodPack aims to facilitate the circular use of plastic packaging addressing the most sensitive product category: Food packaging. This sector contains 87% of all European flexible plastic-plastic multilayer composites (MLC) due to the high requirements for food preservation and safety. However, these MLC laminates cannot be recycled by state of the art processes and thus counteract the circular use of food packaging. Recycled polymers from far less demanding mono-film waste fractions underperform and cannot be used in food packaging, mostly due to the presence of intentionally and not intentionally added substances. We will demonstrate the project results by production of high-quality recycled PE at TRL 5-6, using Sensor-Based-Specification or Tracer-Based-Sorting (TBS, SBS), deinking and thermally assisted deodorization as well as solvent-based or mechanical recycling processes. Innovative designs of recyclable and food-safe mono-material laminates will enable the re-use in high-value film applications, with upcoming food packaging marking with deinkable tracers. This allows a future circular economy of food packaging, if TBS guarantees a sorting of food grade materials. Product characterization, food contact compliance testing, LCA, LCC and business modelling will support and guide process development, upscale and design new packaging. The approach addresses the scope of the call exactly, since innovative sorting and recycling solutions are applied to novel designs being developed. That enables the re-use in the same high-value product sector by removing undesirable substances from secondary raw materials. Addressing the annual 2 Mio tonnes of European MLC food packaging, which currently hamper the recycling of 17.8 Mio tonnes of food packaging waste, the expected impact on flexible packaging and food sector is substantial. An interdisciplinary team of 4 RTOs and 10 industrial partners (5 SMEs) will finally implement the new circular economy approach.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwaste managementwaste treatment processesrecycling
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcomposites
- natural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciences
- engineering and technologyother engineering and technologiesfood technologyfood packaging
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicssustainable economy
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
80686 Munchen
Germany