SABIC, DSM, Viscofan, Cepsa and Fibrant co-create post-consumer recycled plastic meat casings

02 Dec 2020 --- SABIC, DSM, Viscofan, Cepsa and Fibrant are together unveiling a multi-barrier casing for meat products made via the advanced recycling of post-consumer plastics.

The recycled, multi-layer films advance the circular economy without compromising on the packaging’s functional performance.

The newly developed casing is produced by Viscofan – a world leader in casings for foods – and consists of several layers of different polymers.

DSM Engineering Materials supplies the high-performance certified circular polyamide (PA) Akulon CRC-MB, while SABIC supplies the high-performance certified circular polyethylene (PE) from its Trucircle portfolio of circular solutions.

Both products are based on used and post-consumer plastics, which would otherwise be discarded as landfill or lost to incineration. Using advanced recycling, the used plastic is converted into new feedstock, which then enters the production chain to deliver new virgin-quality materials.

United mass balance approach
The new material demonstrates the efficacy in uniting value chain partners toward shared circular economy goals and addresses the increasing consumer, societal and regulatory demand for more sustainable multi-layer barrier casing solutions.

The high-performance certified circular polyamide Akulon CRC-MB is produced through a value chain collaboration involving various partners applying a mass-balancing approach.

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Mass Balance White Paper, mass balance accounting is designed to trace the flow of materials through a complex value chain. The mass balance approach provides a set of rules for allocating recycled content to different products to claim and market the content as “recycled-based.”SABIC produces certified circular benzene, based on materials produced via mixed-used plastics feedstock recycling.

SABIC produces certified circular benzene, based on materials produced via mixed-used plastics feedstock recycling, used by Cepsa to make certified circular phenol.

Fibrant then uses the phenol to produce certified circular caprolactam EcoLactam, which is provided to DSM to produce its certified circular polyamide.

Finally, Viscofan combines the certified circular PE and polyamide to produce the multi-barrier film used to create casings for various meat products.

A tool in the food waste fight
Multi-layer barrier films inherently offer strong environmental sustainability advantages by extending the shelf life of foods and reducing food waste. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), food waste accounts for 8 percent of total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Moreover, using post-consumer plastics as a feedstock mitigates the depletion of natural resources and reduces plastic waste accumulation.

All of the advanced recycled materials within this value chain have the globally recognized ISCC Plus certification and will not require re-qualification.

SABIC’s Trucircle portfolio
The certified circular PE used in this value chain collaboration is part of SABIC’s Trucircle portfolio, based on materials produced via mixed and used plastic feedstock recycling.

SABIC uses advanced feedstock recycling technology from UK-based Plastic Energy to recover the material value of mixed and used plastic, including previously difficult-to-recycle post-consumer plastics.

The waste is converted into an oil, which then enters the production chain just like fossil-based feedstock to deliver new materials without compromising quality.

“We’re committed to finding innovative solutions that help to capture value from used plastic which would otherwise have been discarded,” says Mark Vester, Global Circular Economy Leader at SABIC.

“This includes collaborating with players across the entire value chain to provide access to more sustainable materials, made using our Trucircle portfolio of circular solutions, and to work toward a circular economy for plastics.”

”We are delighted to work with partners including Cepsa, Fibrant, DSM and Viscofan to help make this vision a reality.”

SABIC ran a pilot project with Schwarz multinational retail group using transparent vegetable film bags made from 100 percent certified circular PE. The project involves multiple PE technologies from Sabic’s Trucircle portfolio.

Mars recently teamed 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.

Edited by Joshua Poole