Borealis and Valio offer recycled PP-based yogurt packaging to meet EU PPWR targets

Borealis has partnered with Finnish dairy producer Valio to develop a recycled packaging solution for its yogurt brand Valio Kreikkalainen Jogurtti. Valio integrates Borealis’ Borcycle C grade in the thermoforming process to enhance the yogurt packaging’s circularity features.

Driven by the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which calls for the increased use of PCR content and improved recyclability, Valio sought a circular packaging solution that could meet regulatory standards while achieving a carbon-neutral milk value chain by 2035.

Peter Voortmans, vice president of marketing consumer products at Borealis, tells Packaging Insights: “The PPWR mandates specific targets for recycled content in packaging materials. By 2030, plastic packaging must contain a minimum percentage of PCR plastic, depending on the end-use application. For example, 10% is required in food packaging applications based on polyolefins.”

“Chemically recycled PP can help manufacturers meet these targets by providing high-quality recycled material that can be used in new packaging.”

Jos van Haastrecht, global communications for polyolefins, circular economy solutions at Borealis, shares that the PPWR is “adding urgency for a circular solution for Valio,” as it “aims to set design requirements for recycle-ready packaging.”

“In this case, it was imperative to ensure product safety and pack integrity while offering consumers the same appealing look and feel as conventional yogurt cups manufactured with virgin polyolefins.”

Advancing circularity

Borealis’ Borcycle C HC205TF is a drop-in replacement for conventional fossil-based PP. The partnership’s result is a yogurt cup composed of 30% recycled PP, in the form of Borcycle C HC205TF, and 70% virgin PP.

Climate-smart packaging that reduces waste is essential to achieving circularity, according to Valio.“By recycling PP, the need for new plastic production from fossil fuels is reduced, which in turn lowers the carbon footprint of plastic products,” says Voortmans.

The feedstock journey begins at Neste’s Porvoo refinery in Finland. “Neste is Borealis’ upstream partner. The company is supplied with liquefied plastic waste that is otherwise hard to recycle,” highlights Van Haastrecht.

“Neste then upgrades this into virgin-quality plastic feedstock at its Porvoo refinery in Finland. At the Borealis steam cracker in Porvoo, Finland, the chemically recycled feedstock obtained from Neste is used to produce the fully recycled (mass balance approach) PP grade Borcycle C HC205TF.”

Thermoforming innovation

Borealis’ Borcycle C HC205TF is said to offer the same mechanical strength and shelf life performance as traditional materials. 

“Thermoforming PP solutions play a crucial role in enhancing the efficiency, safety, and sustainability of food packaging in the industry. The process involves heating a plastic sheet until it becomes pliable and then forming it into specific shapes using molds. This technology supports the production of thinner plastics, reducing material waste,” explains Voortmans.

“Thermoformed packaging can be designed with specific barrier properties to protect food from external factors such as moisture, oxygen, and light, thereby extending shelf life and preserving food quality.”

“It also enables the creation of customized packaging shapes and sizes. This flexibility enhances both the functionality and aesthetics of food packaging,” he concludes.