Flexible plastics circular economy: Industry targets monomaterials amid inadequate recycling infrastructure

22 Feb 2022 --- Flexible plastics present a significant problem for packaging manufacturers, policymakers and consumers when it comes to creating a circular economy. Disparate recycling systems, sorting capabilities, materials and designs make achieving closed loops like that of PET bottles problematic.

In the UK, for example, flexible plastics account for over 20% of all household plastic packaging, but only around 5% is ever recycled. PackagingInsights sits down with key packaging suppliers Gualapack, Coveris and Amcor to discuss why the flexibles market is such a challenge for circularization, how this can be tackled, and what policymakers and industry bodies are doing to bring change to the market. 

Sorting conundrum 
David Clark, Amcor’s vice president for sustainability, explains a key issue is the lack of proper sorting and recycling infrastructure for flexible plastics. 

“Flexible packaging often isn’t accepted in curbside recycling because it’s challenging for mechanical sorting systems at the recycling plants to separate it from other materials such as paper. Also, flexible packaging is often made of mixed materials that are difficult to separate, which limits the quality and economics of recycling flexible plastic packaging,” he says.

Recyclable monomaterial pouches from Gualapack.“This issue means the flexible packaging that can be recycled frequently has to be recycled through store drop-off programs, which have lower accessibility and consumer participation than curbside recycling programs.” 

Certain supermarkets – like Sainsbury’s and Tesco – have launched such programs to boost their environmental sustainability credentials, but Clark stresses this is not enough.

Uniting stakeholders 
Meanwhile, Stefano Tamarindo, global sustainability director at Gualapack, says the key to evolving the flexible packaging industry toward a fully circular economy requires active collaboration capable of engaging the whole value chain. 

“Stakeholders – including raw material manufacturers, converters, collectors and recyclers – must work together to define materials, develop guidelines and redesign processes. The main goal for all of us should be to provide markets and consumers with solutions that are sustainable, in both environmental and financial terms,” he says. 

“Our product portfolio is the result of constant evolution – but what has changed in the past few years are the drivers of innovation. Designing for sustainability, for example, has massively accelerated the trend for weight reduction, in terms of the number of layers and their thickness.”

“Recyclability is another key factor we always consider in our R&D efforts: we addressed it with radical changes in raw materials and the converting process – which resulted in Gualapack’s Pouch 5, a recyclable, flexible spouted pouch we launched in Europe two years ago.” Stefano Tamarindo, global sustainability director at Gualapack.

Policy changes 
Industry is urging government leaders to aid efforts in fixing recycling infrastructure. Clark says that where sound government policy and adequate funding for waste management and recycling is in place, “we know that recycling rates increase, materials are reused, and waste is reduced.”

“We believe in a system-wide approach that covers the full value chain – from technology and innovation at the point of manufacture to education at the point of use and beyond. At a national and regional government level, brands and retailers are essential to catalyzing consumer action, and this legislation is needed to align countries on a standardized approach to recycling.”

Amcor polling showed 83% of respondents wanted brands to make it clearer how to recycle packaging. At the same time, 80% think it should be the responsibility of the recycling service provider to improve infrastructure so that packaging designed to be recycled can be recycled in practice as well.

“Local government has a vital role in the provision of curbside collection and other systems, improving behavior-focused communications so consumers can and do recycle,” adds Clark. 

Designing for recycling 
Packaging design that suits the recycling streams that currently exist is one solution for industry to help governments boost recycling rates. 

Amcor’s flexible packaging with Carbon Trust certification.“Recyclability standards such as CEFLEX or the CGF Golden Design Rules and upgrading recycling infrastructure to include technology that can better distinguish between materials are necessary, making it more feasible to recycle flexible packaging in curbside recycling programs,” explains Clark.

“Flexible packaging is often made of layers of different materials, and the difficulty of separating the layers of flexible plastics for subsequent recycling can provide a challenge in circularizing.”

“Designing polyolefin-based, flexible packaging that eliminates the layers of hard-to-recycle materials is one-way companies like Amcor are helping to solve this challenge. As we design more of our flexible packaging to be recycle-ready and recycling collection infrastructure becomes more advanced and accessible, we’ll see a growth in the circularity of flexible packaging.” 

Monomaterials mounting 
Coveris’ DuraliteR “next generation” monolaminate shrink wrapping.Coveris’ flexibles innovation director Eric Valette highlights how his company is turning to monomaterials in its efforts to eradicate waste throughout its supply chain. 

“Our range of MonoFlex solutions support easy recycling alongside complex technical product demands, including barrier, shelf life and functional requirements. They are available as polyethylene or polypropylene laminates – MonoFlex or MonoFlex Lite films.” 

Recently, Coveris launched recyclable MonoFlexBE for Tesco cheese. “This was a game-changer for cheese packaging,” says Valette. 

“Coveris’ new MonoFlexBE takes grated cheese out of a mixed, triple-ply nylon laminate – one of the hardest to recycle materials – to a fully recyclable PE monolaminate structure with built-in barrier properties.” 

Removing the current hard-to-recycle plastic and switching to the new monolaminate material is expected to move around 411 metric tons of plastic into a dedicated recycling stream annually. Given its lightweight properties, the packs will also deliver a plastic saving of around 32 metric tons, adds Valette.

By Louis Gore-Langton