Constantia Flexibles reveals 80% recycled PE film for non-food circular economy

08 Sep 2021 --- Constantia Flexibles is unveiling an up to 80 percent recycled polyethylene (PE) film made from its EcoLam laminates’ waste, offering a high-barrier non-food solution suitable for recycling in the existing low-density polyethylene (LDPE) recycling stream. 

Speaking to PackagingInsights, Dr. Achim Grefenstein, Constantia Flexibles’ Group SVP for R&D, explains that typical high-barrier packaging is a mixture of different polymers, resulting in inferior recyclate qualities.

“We minimized all non-PE materials in the laminate and used only those approved by PRE (Plastics Recyclers Europe). This results in higher regranulate quality, allowing high amounts of recyclate in demanding applications, like new lamination films.”

With its EcoLam product line, Austrian packaging manufacturer Constantia Flexibles says it has demonstrated that packaging can offer a high barrier and recyclability at the same time – an important step toward a circular economy ensuring valuable resources are saved.The recyclable EcoLam range.

Certified recycle-ready
In 2019, EcoLamHighPlus material became the “first and only” high-barrier laminate to be tested by the RecyClass Initiative of European Plastics Recyclers for its recyclability in the existing LDPE recycling stream.

The testing proved PE laminates with high-barrier properties, which were previously only achievable with aluminum laminates, can also be recycled.

The EU Plastics Strategy requires all packaging to be recyclable or reusable in an economically viable way by 2030, while its recently introduced plastics tax imposes a €0.80/kg (US$0.95/kg) levy on unrecycled plastic packaging waste.

Industrial recycling trial
Constantia Flexibles reached a milestone with its EcoLam laminate industrial recycling trial. The production waste from different EcoLam family laminates, including ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH), metalization, adhesives and inks, was shredded and sent for reprocessing.Dr. Achim Grefenstein, Constantia Flexibles’ Group SVP for R&D.

The supplier’s partner EREMA successfully reprocessed the waste into regranulates on an industrial scale extruder. These regranulates were then converted into a new blown film in Constantia Pirk in Germany, and used in the lamination of new EcoLam materials as a sealant.

Up to 80 percent recycled content was achieved in the lamination film, depending on the ink system used. Only the sealing layer has to be made from virgin material due to its functionality.

It will not be possible to produce sealing layers with mechanical recyclates, Grefenstein tells PackagingInsights. “Even the highest qualities are always a mixture of different PE grades. Thus, only chemical recycled, virgin-like regranulates would be the option for that 20 percent,” he explains.

Food packaging suitability?
Constantia Flexibles has demonstrated that printed and metalized PE-based laminates from the EcoLam family can be reprocessed into new films with up to 80 percent recycled content, closing the loop in non-food packaging applications.EREMA reprocesses waste into regranulates on an industrial scale extruder.

Further examinations showed the type of adhesive and printing inks used significantly influence the quality of recyclable material.

However, further investigation is needed to clarify whether printed laminates can also be reused in food applications with suitable adhesives and inks.

“All mechanical recycling technologies for polyolefins are not resulting in food law-approved regranulates from the household collection today,” notes Grefenstein.

“Even with much better-defined production scrap (and only inks and adhesives being food-approved too), the inks/adhesives might degrade and will also come closer toward the filling good.”

“Thus the very low limits of potentially harmful substances cannot be safely met yet by mechanical recyclates.”

In related news, SABIC, St. Johns Packaging and Allied Bakeries today announced a 30 percent recycled PE bread bag for the Kingsmill No Crusts 50/50 sliced bread, produced through chemical recycling.

By Joshua Poole

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