Flexible packaging is an important part of our modern world. Mainly made of plastic films, it helps ensure products reach consumers safe and fresh, preserving nutrients, taste, and quality. Being very light and thin, flexible packaging materials reduce the impact of transportation, reduce waste of the goods they protect and usually use far less material than alternative packaging options.
Minimising product and packaging waste with low weight and volume is key in a circular economy. But an equally important objective is to design flexible packaging so that it will be correctly disposed of, collected, and efficiently sorted into suitable material fractions for recycling. These sorted materials must be recyclable into ‘new’ ones that can be used in market applications, displacing virgin material.
Decisions around the choice of all the different elements used in flexible packaging – materials, adhesives, coatings and inks – influence how the packaging is identified, disposed of and managed in the waste recycling stream. CEFLEX consortium recently released “Designing for a Circular Economy” guidelines, referring to all packaging design choices that impact the quality and quantity of the recycled materials produced and are therefore to be carefully considered.
In addition, taking into account the current best-practice technologies established in Europe, a recent paper published by CEFLEX states the need to evaluate the functional requirements of packaging and, when possible, to redesign existing flexible packaging to a recyclable mono-material.
“Ensuring packaging is designed to be recycled into new, valuable materials, or flows back into the economy, is a cornerstone condition for creating a circular economy,” explained CEFLEX project coordinator, Graham Houlder. “More than 80% of flexible packaging is mono-material Polyethylene (PE) or Polypropylene (PP) and we can grow this further, which will improve conditions for investment in infrastructure and help create sustainable end markets for the recycled materials.”
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The R&D team of Hatzopoulos S.A. can provide thorough technical support and help you redesign the next generation of your flexible packaging, implementing the latest CEFLEX guidelines. In line with the consortium’s recommendations, we give practical advice on how to deliver significant environmental improvement of your flexible packaging, taking into account also its functionality and performance.
Ask us more on the CEFLEX guidelines and recommendations for your packaging
