Issue 02/2019

Basics
The future of
W
orldwide, more and more packaging is being
used. Seeking to reduce this, various European
member states are looking into options for
Plastic Pacts: agreements between governments and the
packaging industry to rethink the way we make, use, and
reuse plastics and packaging. What does this mean for the
future of biobased packaging?
The focus of these agreements in the coming period will
be mainly on the re-usability of packaging. An example
is the new circular online platform Loop, developed by
TerraCycle. The platform aims to reduce packaging waste
by adopting reusable packaging and a special delivery and
return bag. A pilot will be launched this year in collaboration
with Unilever, Nestle, Procter and Gamble and various other
partners.
In addition, considerable effort is being put into measures
such as reducing the amount of packaging material used,
stimulating the development of mono material solutions
and the redesign of packaging. But the primary focus in
these agreements is that packaging must be recyclable.
Increasingly, attention is being given to the end-of-life phase
of packaging products, with a view to keeping valuable
resources in circulation, reducing our dependence on fossil
resources and achieving a smaller CO2 footprint.
Recyclable packaging
Under the current agreements, the plastic chain will have
to become simpler, with as ultimate goal to close the plastics
packaging chain – a goal that can be achieved, among
others, by requiring that that all packaging be recyclable.
Packaging design also plays an important role. This could
be improved through, for example, the development of
mono material solutions, i.e., ensuring caps and labels are
made of the same material or of materials that are easy to
separate in order to avoid as far as possible contamination
of the recycling stream.
The requirement that packaging be recyclable can refer
to recycling via a mechanical, chemical or thermal process.
Chemical recycling involves breaking down or dissolving the
Recyclable biobased
milk can Farm
Dairy, nominated for
the NL Packaging
Award 2019
polymers into their original building blocks. Following
depolymerization, the monomers can be reused to
make new , virgin-quality materials. PLA, for example, is
currently neither sorted nor recycled, although this has
been shown to be technically feasible. For this reason,
PLA is considered to be recyclable.
Compostable packaging
The present agreements do not favour the use of
compostable plastics for retail packaging. The reasoning
is that these materials do not contribute to the circularity
of the plastic materials chain, nor do they contribute to
the quality of the compost. However, packaging made
from a material like PLA, that is ‘recyclable’ in design,
will in the future be regarded as recyclable packaging
that is not intended to end up in composting facilities at
the end of life.
Recyclable and compostable PLA meat tray (Bio4Pack)
If better sorting and thermal recycling are possible, there
will also be additional opportunities for biodegradable
packaging. This route is certainly interesting for difficult
laminates that are not mechanically recyclable but are
litter-sensitive, such as single-portion potato chip packs.
Biobased plastics
In view of the potential environmental benefits, the
primary focus will be on the use of recycled materials
and on minimizing the use of virgin fossil-based
materials. Biobased plastics can offer a solution in cases
where recycled material cannot be used, such as for food
packaging, where food contact regulations prohibit the
use of recycled plastics. In addition, recyclable, biobased
food packaging offering good barrier properties offer
promising possibilities, now or in the future.
Recyclate versus biobased content
By 2025, packing manufacturers aim to produce
packaging containing 35 % recycled or biobased
46 bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/19] Vol. 14