“Recyclable packaging begins with design,” says SUEZ exec, as company launches guidelines for producers

01 Apr 2019 --- Circularity does not start with recycling, but with the design of the packaging, according to Vincent Mooij, Manager of SUEZ.circpack. SUEZ, who offer innovative and sustainable solutions for waste, has released a new set of guidelines – SUEZ.circpack – that hope to assist brand-owners in designing for recyclability. There will also be a Suez recyclable certification logo for packaging that passes the recyclability assessment of Suez. Speaking to PackagingInsights on the launch, Mooij notes that Suez hopes to set a clear industry standard in designing for recyclability.

“Recyclable by Design” was identified by Innova Market Insights as the top packaging trend of the year. Widespread bans on single-use plastics, the implementation of China’s “National Sword” policy and increasing media attention around the environmental scourge of plastic pollution have intensified the demand for recycle-ready packaging solutions, notes the market researcher. 

Creating circular packaging is a major challenge for producers, Mooij explains, particularly because the industry lacks a clear standard. “Companies can now decide for themselves what they put on packaging about recyclability and, therefore, send out the wrong signal. SUEZ.circpack assesses the recyclability of packaging based on a clear methodology combined with operational knowledge and big data. To be eligible for a certificate, at least 50 percent of the packaging must be recyclable.”

SUEZ.circpack hopes to help companies to create fully circular packaging by sharing operational knowledge and experience and setting clear standards for the recyclability of packaging. 

“There is already a lot of theoretical knowledge available about packaging recycling, but our additional knowledge comes from the operational side. As a specialist in raw materials management, SUEZ knows exactly what works and what doesn’t work in the collection, sorting and processing of packaging waste. We have valuable information on the recycling of individual packaging. We use this big data to optimize packaging together with brand owners and retailers,” he says.

The utilization of big data in developing the guidelines sets it apart from other sustainable design guidelines, Mooij notes.

“We are in the process of gathering a lot of big data – scanning the barcodes of different types of packaging at the end of the sorting line, for example. This can tell us how different types of packaging are actually sorted in reality. This then goes in our database and we can tell you that typically, 98 percent will follow the PET route.”

How can we design for recyclability?
The guidelines are organized through four steps: “Is there a collection system in place, can your packaging be sorted, can we reprocess the material and, is there an end market? If these four criteria are met, then we say it's recyclable. We also look to define the percentage of material that can be recycled,” says Mooij.

When designing for recyclability, one outcome that the guidelines may spur is the removal of obstructing materials, for example, which can hinder the recycling or sorting process. 

The ascension of lightweighting in the industry led to problems because of the sudden presence of more obstructing materials. In an effort to lightweight materials – often for a sustainable end – manufacturers had to use multiple types of Vincent Mooij, Manager of SUEZ.circpack. polymers, nano-layers and composites. This can result in a lighter end-weight, but it also reduces the chance of the product being recycled.

However, there has been a shift occurring, Mooij explains: “Now you see a change toward not only looking at the weight of the packaging and its original function, but also at the circular quality. Can it be used again? Can you also use recycled material in it? That’s a big change.”

The first SUEZ.circpack certificate has now been awarded to REN Skincare, a Unilever company. The packaging of the face sunscreen product Clean Screen (50 ml) is almost completely recyclable, as both the tube and the cap are made of the same material. This type of plastic, polypropylene, is collected, sorted and recycled in many countries.

Although the guidelines are hoped to increase recycling rates, the essential purpose of them is to increase the yield of recyclable materials. Even if 100 percent of all packaging is collected, this does not ensure a high recycling rate, often because the packaging is not designed with its end-life in mind. 

“If packaging was designed for recyclability, it would make the whole process a lot more streamlined,” Mooij concludes.

By Laxmi Haigh