Nextek’s Nextloopp closes food-grade PP recycling loop in full-scale production trials

27 Jun 2022 --- Nextek’s pioneering Nextloopp recycling project has successfully undertaken the first full-scale packaging production trials using its PPristine food-grade resins. Nextloopp is a global multi-participant initiative aimed at closing the loop on food-grade PP.

“While these in-depth trial findings show that the process of creating food-grade recycled PP (rPP) is highly feasible, they also highlight the fact that the recycling process is still more complex than it needs to be due to many current packaging design features,” Nextek’s founder Edward Kosior tells PackagingInsights.

Mannok Pack, one of the UK and Ireland’s leading thermoformed food packaging manufacturers, ran the trials at its County Cavan facility, producing a range of different products from 500 g dairy spread tubs and lids through injection molding with an in-mold label to 500 g dairy spread tubs with lids through conventional sheet extrusion and thermoforming.

The 30% rPP content complies with the recently-introduced UK Plastic Packaging Tax.“Excellent” processing characteristics
According to Mannok’s general manager Mark McKenna, the finished packs showed “excellent” visual and processing characteristics with only “minor but acceptable” product variations between the 30% rPP pack and the virgin PP pack.

Kosior explains the difference is merely “a slightly creamier color, but it is hardly noticeable – otherwise they [the products] are a very close match.”

In April 2022, Nextloopp dispatched PPristine rPP prototype resins from post-consumer food packaging to its (at the time) 43 participants for further trials after successful tests with German recycling company Tomra in September last year.

Nextek’s founder spoke to us about the trials and the project’s next steps. Now, the resins have been successfully converted into sample products.

Government targets
Notably, the 30% rPP content complies with the recently-introduced UK Plastic Packaging Tax. The new law imposes a £200 (US$247) per metric ton levy on producers or importers failing to meet the minimum requirement of 30% recycled plastic in new plastic packaging.

“In time, we will want to increase the content of recycled material,” says Kosior. “However, due to the lack of food-grade rPP, it is better to share what recycled resin we have and spread it further as we develop the ecosystem to boost production. As we see it, it is preferable to aim for more packs with 30% recycled content than fewer with a higher ratio of recycled content.”

Closing the PP loop
McKenna says the new packs demonstrate the “huge potential” of the Nextloopp. He feels confident that the project is poised to help their industry move toward closing the loop on food-grade PP.

Robinson PLC’s CEO Helene Roberts concurs, adding: “We were delighted with the results of these initial trials using the food-grade rPP material from Nextloopp that produced very similar aesthetics and performance to our current virgin-based products and little disruption to the manufacturing line.”

As Nextloopp finalizes the dossiers for its application to EFSA and USFDA for food-grade accreditation, they are also now working in conjunction with industry bodies to advise on new design guidelines for Food-Grade Circular Recycling based on these trial findings.

“Following Nextloopp’s trials, it is now aggregating numerous examples of products into an impressive catalog of results to demonstrate the suitability of the project’s food-grade rPP – PPristine – and INRT resins. These will be used to submit our innovative resin for EFSA and USFDA approval,” concludes Kosior.

By Natalie Schwertheim

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