Mars pioneers recycled PP pet food packs in SABIC and Huhtamaki partnership

04 Nov 2020 --- Mars is collaborating with SABIC and Huhtamaki to integrate food-grade recycled polypropylene (rPP) in some of its pet food packaging in 2021, following a successful pilot this year.

Huhtamaki is using SABIC’s circular Trucircle resins to extrude PP films, creating the sealing layer. From there, the films are laminated to other materials to form the final retort pouch laminate for Mars pet food packaging.

The move accelerates Mars’ progress toward achieving 30 percent recycled content and 25 percent less virgin plastic in its product portfolio by 2025.

SABIC and Huhtamaki tell PackagingInsights that integrating PP into its pet food packaging is a “significant step” for Mars. 

“While they are piloting this packaging with their pet food brands in Europe, we know they have ambitions to increase volume and scale in 2021,” says Mark Vester, global circular economy leader at SABIC.

“As this is a new technology, the pace at which this solution can be upscaled in the next few years will be critical,” adds Alok Dutta, general manager of Huhtamaki’s pet care flexibles division.

Click to EnlargeFollowing a trial this year, Mars intends to include food-grade rPP in pet food packaging in 2021.Mars Petcare brands include Pedigree, Royal Canin, Whiskas, Sheba and Cesar. Mars is yet to disclose the brands involved in the rPP rollouts.

Recycled plastic, virgin quality
The collaboration demonstrates how companies can jointly close the loop in packaging waste. The Trucircle PP food-grade material is produced through feedstock recycling of low quality, used mixed plastic that could otherwise be destined for incineration or landfill. 

The PP resins are produced through an advanced recycling process, which takes mixed, used plastic that is hard to recycle via conventional recycling routes and converts it into material suitable for new food-grade recycled packaging.

The packs will not feel or look different from those made with traditional virgin plastic, while boasting the added benefits of recycled material coming from previously used plastic products, highlights SABIC.

SABIC’s previous Trucircle industry partnerships include recycled plastic packaging solutions for beverage cartons, tea capsules and meat packaging. 

Investing in PP
PP is typically not as recyclable as PET due to a lack of infrastructure to recycle it. So what are the advantages of investing in PP? Dutta at Huhtamaki explains that industry is actively working on various mono-PP solutions to improve the recycling rates of PP in the future. 

“With chemical recycling technology, it is now possible to recycle PP into feedstock to produce virgin polymers. The product in question is a ‘retort’ pouch. That means these packs need to withstand a sterilization process once it is filled with food,” he explains.

“PP is the current best-in-class sealing layer that can withstand these high temperatures. By adding chemically recycled food-grade resins into our PP film extrusion process, we maintain all original properties of the PP while contributing to closing the loop.”

Click to EnlargeTrucircle addresses strict quality requirements, such as pet-specific hygiene standards for food packaging.Impending environmental targets
The partnership with SABIC and Huhtamaki is in line with Mars’ Sustainable Packaging Plan to use 100 percent recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging across its product portfolio by 2025. 

It also pairs with Huhtamaki’s ambition to design all of its packaging to be recyclable, compostable or reusable and use more than 80 percent renewable or recycled raw materials.

“We recognize that our product portfolio – which is made up of food products – means packaging options that ensure we meet the highest food safety standards are less variable than for others,” a Mars spokesperson tells PackagingInsights.

Toward this end, Mars is exploring new innovative technologies, such as Trucircle, which allows for food-grade recycled material. “[This is] why we don’t take a silver bullet approach to sustainable packaging.”

“We are rethinking our entire approach to packaging by reducing packaging that we don’t need, redesigning the packaging that we do need for circularity and investing to close the loop.”

“While SABIC is a new partner to Mars, we have collaborated with Huhtamaki as a supplier for other areas of our business and anticipate that relationship will continue. We are certainly open to collaborating further to advance our vision of a world with no packaging waste,” the spokesperson concludes.

By Anni Schleicher

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