Periodic Reporting for period 2 - FRA-PET (Fully Recyclable A-PET (FRA-PET): a sustainable and cost-effective oxygen barrier food packaging)
Reporting period: 2021-03-01 to 2022-06-30
Each year, over 381 million tonnes of plastic waste are produced worldwide - equivalent to the mass of two-thirds of the world population. Around 13 million tonnes of this plastics end up in the oceans, causing serious threat to the environment and global health, and an economic burden of €7 billion per year globally. This global emergency calls for new solutions to increase plastic recycling rate. About 14% of the global plastic waste is represented by food packaging. PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET) is the most common plastic resin used in the food packaging industry. To increase food shelf life, PET is commonly combined with other chemicals, such as EVOH, to create multilayer PET/EVOH plastic sheets that offer an efficient barrier to oxygen penetration to the plastic food tray.
While representing a need for food quality preservation, the presence of an EVOH layer makes food plastic trays not recyclable. Unfortunately, since PET/EVOH trays cannot be sorted from fully recyclable PET trays (i.e. those not containing EVOH), they cause all the food trays to be discarded rather than recycled – accounting for 1.1 million of tonnes of PET trays either incinerated or landfilled each year only in Europe.
Point Plastic has developed FRA-PET, a game-changing additive to produce fully recyclable PET barrier package for food preservation. Thanks to additive proprietary chemical formulation, FRA-PET food trays provide the highest efficiency oxygen barrier and best performance in food quality preservation without requiring EVOH use. FRA-PET enables to increase the current recycling of plastic barrier food trays from 0% to 100%, sustaining the circular economy of plastic. FRA-PET has the potential to become the new gold standard for PET packaging.
The key objectives of the project include optimization of the FRA-PET chemical formulation and validation of FRA-PET trays performance through a pilot study with fresh food manufacturers to obtain certifications for commercialization in Europe.
While representing a need for food quality preservation, the presence of an EVOH layer makes food plastic trays not recyclable. Unfortunately, since PET/EVOH trays cannot be sorted from fully recyclable PET trays (i.e. those not containing EVOH), they cause all the food trays to be discarded rather than recycled – accounting for 1.1 million of tonnes of PET trays either incinerated or landfilled each year only in Europe.
Point Plastic has developed FRA-PET, a game-changing additive to produce fully recyclable PET barrier package for food preservation. Thanks to additive proprietary chemical formulation, FRA-PET food trays provide the highest efficiency oxygen barrier and best performance in food quality preservation without requiring EVOH use. FRA-PET enables to increase the current recycling of plastic barrier food trays from 0% to 100%, sustaining the circular economy of plastic. FRA-PET has the potential to become the new gold standard for PET packaging.
The key objectives of the project include optimization of the FRA-PET chemical formulation and validation of FRA-PET trays performance through a pilot study with fresh food manufacturers to obtain certifications for commercialization in Europe.
Within the project, Point Plastic has been actively working on optimizing the FRA-PET additive formulation, and identified the best formulation to ensure the required physicochemical properties of the FRA-PET sheets. Several formulation were analysed and the most promising one has been selected for the final industrialisation and validation tests. Preliminary tests on the industrial production process for sheets and trays have been already performed and the optimization process has been completed successfully. We have engaged with secure partners for the industrial production process and for the validation and regulatory activities. We have achieved the expected results, as demonstrated in the demonstration testing performed in collaboration with our prospect customers. The FRA PET additive formulation showed extended shelf lie of the trays as well as optimal Oxygen and CO2 barriers as well accepted microbiological count. The project has been presented to a strategic audience of industry experts, enabling Point Plastic to strengthen their network of Key Opinion Leaders and prospect customers. The final results have been presented also to potential investors, to ensure rapid commercialisation and increase market traction.
Point Plastic aim to demonstrate performance of the FRA-PET trays in terms of active oxygen barrier to preserve food quality and freshness, and recyclability to enable the circular economy of plastics. Data collected throughout the project, have enabled to obtain the certifications required for market launch. The EIC Accelerator project outcomes will allow to release the FRA-PET additive into the European marketplace and provide a unique solution to achieve 100% recyclability of plastic food trays, thus reducing the vast environmental and economic burden of plastic waste. In particular, the new FRA PET solution will offer up to 40% Carbon footprint reduction vs the PET/EVOH solution.
This can potentially results in a tremendous environmental benefit; over 1.460.000 tons CO2 can be saved considering the 400.000 tons of trays that can be converted to FRA PET additives in Europe.
This can potentially results in a tremendous environmental benefit; over 1.460.000 tons CO2 can be saved considering the 400.000 tons of trays that can be converted to FRA PET additives in Europe.