BOPET Films Europe and Searious Business launch mono-PET consortium to kick-start circular economy

01 Mar 2021 --- BOPET Films Europe and Searious Business are launching an industry consortium promoting the use of mono-PET flexible packaging in the circular economy.

The Vita Nova consortium aims to ensure flexible PET packaging is established as a widescale circular material, kept in the economy and out of incinerators, and welcomes producers, sorters, recyclers, machine manufacturers and brand owners.

“The consortium goals are to make recommendations on pack design, target applications, Near Infrared (NIR) testing, recycling tests and target end markets for recyclate,” Rosemarie Wuite, business developer at Searious Business, outlines to PackagingInsights.

Over the next 12 months, Vita Nova aims to develop:

• Material redesign options moving from mixed plastics to mono-PET
• Quality sorting guidelines
• Recycling pathway for PET films (considering both mechanical and monomer recycling) 
• Design for recycling guidelines for mono-PET packaging
• Research viable end markets for mechanically recycled flexible PET and prove a closed-loop recycling process for monomer recycling.

Collective goals point to PET
Like most flexible packaging, PET films are not currently sorted and recycled in Europe at scale. Vita Nova plans to address this, sharing information with the wider industry at all stages.

“Virtually all flexible packaging is being incinerated. ‘Vita Nova’ comes from the Latin for ‘new life,’ and this is what we are trying to give to flexible packaging by developing a model for true closed-loop recycling,” explains Steven Davies, Chair of BOPET films Europe.

“Mono-PET structures offer the packaging industry the best in class option in terms of material usage and recycling processes, and are a key element if the industry is to hit the collective goals we have signed up to by 2025.”Mono-PET structures deliver on all four of the European Plastic Pact targets, the partners say.

In December 2017, the EU reached a preliminary agreement on plastic packaging recycling targets of 50 percent by 2025 and 55 percent by 2030.

The European Plastics Pact has four main targets: Reusability and recyclability, responsible use, collection, sorting and recycling, and use of recycled plastics.

“We cannot achieve these goals in isolation, and through this Vita Nova initiative, we hope to pull together knowledge from across the value chain to improve the circularity of flexible packaging,” adds Michael Kreuter, BOPET Films Europe vice-chair.

Multi-material complexities
Although flexible packaging is relatively resource-efficient, it is challenging to recycle due to its size and the complex mix of materials, inks and adhesives.

Current research into the recycling of flexible plastic packaging waste focuses mainly on the mechanical recycling of polyolefins, which in isolation will not achieve European circularity goals, says Searious Business.

Moreover, mechanical recycling is a well-established process for rigid packaging but unlikely to be scalable for flexible polyolefin structures due to the lack of end markets for low-quality recyclate not suitable for food packaging.

Feedstock recycling does offer a future end of life strategy for mono-polyolefin and mixed plastic recycling but is a high cost and high carbon option, the circular economy consultancy highlights.

Full focus on mono-PET
At least 25 percent of all flexible packaging applications rely on the material properties provided by PET. In many cases, moving to a polyolefin alternative will lead to an increase in material usage and a drop in packing efficiency, Searious Business indicates.

Broadening the scope to include mono-PET structures opens up more end markets for mechanically recycled material than focussing on one solution. It also enables the option of monomer recycling – a lower cost and lower carbon form of chemical recycling – with a more realistic possibility of closed-loop recycling.According to Searious Business, PET films are the only commercially available option for food contact approved recycled content.

According to Searious Business, PET films are the only commercially available option for food contact approved recycled content and therefore a vital element of the budding circular economy.

“Recycled content has been used in BOPET films for well over a decade, and there are no significant technical challenges in doing this,” reiterates Wuite.

“We believe the use of recycled content in BOPET films will continue to drive demand for recycled content, and the growth of mono-PET flexible packaging structures and the development of monomer recycling processes represents the only food-safe and viable closed-loop recycling process available for flexible food packaging.”

“We believe in the future there will be no competition with bottle-grade recycled content, especially when trays (and ultimately films) are being collected and recycled separately.”

Trailblazing trays
Wuite explains mono-PET structures are widely used in tray lidding applications where the circular potential of PET has been recognized for many years, as well as ovenable packaging where all PET structures are widely used for bags, horizontal flow wrap, VFFS and stand-up pouches.

“Mono-PET flexible packaging is widely used in tray lidding applications, which represents the gold standard in the packaging industry with high levels of recycled content used both in the tray and lidding structure, whether for berries, a juicy steak, or vegan burgers,” she tells PackagingInsights.

“PET might be more expensive as a result of not yet having the advantage of economies of scale, but polyester's inherent stiffness and stable temperature range allow for the optimum resource efficiency, facilitating high-speed sealing and packing processes while using the minimal raw materials – this results in potential cost savings.”

The benefits of PET films include:

• Commercially available with high levels of food contact approved recycled content
• Inherent stiffness and stable temperature range enabling high-speed packing processes
• Strong odor barrier, preserving flavors and preventing cross-contamination
• Ideal substrate for functional barrier layers due to its stiffness, flatness and stable response to temperature
• Ease of ink adherence making it the printers’ choice of substrate
• Better suited for mechanical recycling due to its inherent resistance to contamination and ability to maintain material properties over repeated extrusion cycles.

Mono-PET structures are widely used in tray lidding applications where the circular potential of PET is widely recognized.Another challenge, which Wuite says is essentially a misconception, is sealability. “Polyester structures are in fact heat-sealable without any technical challenges, whereas some industry players might still think heat-sealable polyester structures do not exist.”

“Heat-sealable polyester structures have been around for three decades – since the late 1980s,” she points out.

Polystyrene to PET?
According to Searious Business, PET films and sheeting consumption is growing, primarily for trays and flexible packaging.

“We’re looking at average growth rates of 5.2 percent per annum since 2014, with pouches also being a significant potential growth market,” continues Wuite.

“Moreover, trend analysis shows there is a big push to mono-structures, and away from materials such as PS for food applications.”

“For example, we’re expecting specific formats such as yogurt cups to make a big move from PS to PET. All of the above providing market opportunities are established for the use of mono-rPET,” she concludes.

By Joshua Poole