DESIGNING FOR ACIRCULAR ECONOMY

An introduction

June 2020

• Key role to play in protecting food and other goods• Lightweight and resource efficient• A challenge once it becomes waste• Flexible packaging needs to be designed so

suitable for collection, sorting and recycling

Flexible packaging: an important part of our modern world

Why is design of flexible packaging critical?

Regulatory pressure for recyclability

Meet industry’s own sustainability commitments

Address wider environmental concerns

55%+ 100%

Designing for a circular economy

5 Steps to Build a Circular Economy for Flexible Packaging

What do they hope to achieve?• Act as a catalyst – facilitate and enable value chain to design recyclable packaging• Provide waste management and recycling companies increased confidence to

invest and develop infrastructure needed

Give clarity to whole value to design flexible

packaging for collection, sorting and recycling

Helping to increase levels of collection,

sorting and recycling

Producing higher quality recycled materials, kept in

economy and used in sustainable end markets

Aim of D4ACE guidelines

• Brand owners and retailers• Film producers and packaging converters•Material producers• Technology suppliers•Waste collectors, sorters and recyclers• End users

Who are the guidelines for?

• Developed by, and for, the whole value chain• Based on broad value chain consensus• Best available data from testing and commercial practices• A unique collaboration from 100’s of individual experts and

organisations

Thank you to all the companies, organisations and individuals that contributed to the development of the guidelines

How were the guidelines developed?

D4ACECEFLEX

Stakeholders

Value chain consultations

Dedicated Workstream

CEFLEX Design

Guidelines

ProjectBarrier

FIACE

Scientific, technical and actionable solutions

emerging

Developed and refined with repeated assessment and feedback from across the

value chain and wider industry

A major step forward for a circular economy

in flexible packaging

REFLEX

A unique collaboration & consensus

• Polyolefin-based structures

• PE, PP and PO mixes make up largest proportion of post-consumer flexible packaging waste stream

• Ability to sort and mechanically recycle already proven at industrial scale

Focus of phase 1

• A key part of the guidelines is to build understanding of end-of-life processes

• Insight into current sorting and mechanical recycling processes for polyolefin-based flexible packaging

End-of-life processes

• Disposal including emptyability

• Collection• Call for collection of all packaging separate

from residual and organic waste so available for sorting and recycling

• At household level plus on the go• Choice of collection system made at local,

regional or national level

Sorting process for packaging waste

Flexible packaging mechanical recycling process

• Preference for mono-PE and mono-PP

• Easier to recycle• Contribute to improved

quality of recycled materials• Keep as much financial value

in recycled materials as possible

Preference for mono-material

Key elements of a flexible packaging structure

• Key role in determining sortability and recyclability

• Polyolefins• Thresholds for mono-PE, mono-PP and mixed

PO structures• Maintain quality and value of recyclate• Full compatibility at >90%• Limited compatibility 80-90%• Not compatible <80%

Material choice - polymers

Other polymers• PET

• Not compatible with polyolefin-based mechanical recycling process

• If used should be on outer surface

• PVC• Not to be used in flexible packaging

• PA• A certain amount can be processed and tolerated• Further work needed to agree a limit for PA

Material choice - polymers

• If used in flexible packaging • Should be dominant material by weight• Identified as paper in sorting process• Sorted in paper fraction for recycling

• Paper in plastics recycling process a disruptor

Material choice - paper

• If used in flexible packaging• Can be sorted out using eddy current separation

process• Aluminium content can be recovered via pyrolysis

Material choice - aluminium foil

Example

• Important element to provide functionality and reduce overall material usage

• Limits provided to ensure choice of barrier material and amount used does not adversely affect recyclability

Material choice - barriers

• EVOH, PVOH, AlOx, SiOx• 5% each of total structure weight

•Metallisation• Laminated and printed metallised structures

compatible• No issues with sortability or recyclability

• PVDC• Further work needed to understand impact of PVDC

Material choice - barriers

• Impacts how pack behaves in waste sorting facility

• > 20 x 20 mm so able to be sorted into target fraction for recycling

Size, shape and construction

• Key role in combining multiple layers of materials

•Maximum 5% of total structure weight

• Optimise quality of recyclate

Adhesives

• Preference for low levels of pigments, natural or lighter colours or none

• Improve recyclate quality and value

• Carbon black containing masterbatch not compatible with sorting process

• Use NIR detectable pigments

Pigments

Example

•Minimal levels

Additives and fillers

• For polyolefins to be separated from non-polyolefins• <1g/cm3

Density

• Printing provides product information and barrier properties• Inks can impact recyclate quality• Preference for minimal print coverage• Lighter colours preferred•Maximum 5% of total structure weight

Inks and lacquers

• Ideally same material as main body of pack

• If different material then easily removable in recycling process

• If different material maximum 30% of each packaging face

Labels

• Zippers, spouts, closures, etc

• Ideally same material as main body of pack

• Potential impact on sortability

Additional features

• Guidelines not written for any specific end market application• Reduces use of virgin material• Creates sustainable end markets for

recycled materials•Within current regulations recycled

materials from polyolefin-based flexible packaging used only in non-food applications

Using recycled materials from flexible packaging

D4ACE resources

• High level overview of D4ACE guidelines

• Aimed at senior management, sales and marketing, communications, etc

Executive summary1

• Full technical detail of guidelines content

• End-of-life processes

Technical report2

• Within technical report and standalone document

• Key technical content

Guidelines summary table

3

Available from ceflex.eu/guidelines

D4ACE resourcesAvailable from ceflex.eu/guidelines

• High level overview of D4ACE guidelines

• Aimed at senior management, sales and marketing, communications, etc

Executive summary1

D4ACE resourcesAvailable from ceflex.eu/guidelines

• Full technical detail of guidelines content

• End-of-life processes

Technical report2

D4ACE resourcesAvailable from ceflex.eu/guidelines

• Within technical report and standalone document

• Key technical content

Guidelines summary table

3

D4ACE resources

A dedicated website ceflex.eu/guidelines

Phase 2 testing and guidelines• Structures not currently regarded as designed for recyclability• Focus on multi-material structures• Testing programme to evaluate sortability and recyclability• Inform future guidelines

• Continue and expand collaborations with key industry bodies and other initiatives

Next steps

DESIGNING FOR ACIRCULAR ECONOMY

ceflex.eu@MissionCircular