The decorative packaging industry is undergoing a significant transformation driven by increasing environmental awareness and consumer demand for sustainable solutions. While companies are increasingly implementing different packaging materials, such as paper, cardboard, glass, and plant-based materials, plastic continues to play a dominant role.
Labels and films, though smaller in size compared to the overall packaging, play a significant role in the packaging waste stream. They are integral to product branding and information dissemination but pose unique recycling challenges. Labels, for instance, can be made from a variety of materials, including paper, plastic, and foil, often with adhesive backings that contaminate recycling streams. Films, used for wrapping and sealing products, vary widely in material composition, adding another layer of complexity to the recycling process.
Improving plastics’ recyclability
With plastic remaining as a vital packaging material, the industry offers different options to reduce its environmental impact, such as lightweighting and reducing the amounts used in packaging without compromising its integrity or functionality. Nevertheless, the key to lowering the environmental impact of plastic lies in improving recyclability.
By increasing recyclability, we can use more post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic in new packaging of consumer products. This in turn helps reduce the demand for virgin plastic and closes the recycling loop.
With the shift towards recyclable materials gaining momentum, the industry is exploring new substrates and mono-material packaging solutions that can be easily processed in recycling facilities.
A mono-material designed-for-recycling. Polyolefin shrink sleeves on polypropylene cups
An example that sets new standards for recyclable packaging comes from the dairy industry. The TINE 300g Dairy Cup Sleeve, made for Berry Superfos Lidköping and produced by Masterpress, is an innovation that encompasses the company’s commitment to sustainability and reflects Recyclass’ "designed-for-recycling" standards. This packaging introduces a low-density polyolefin shrink sleeve material creating a “mono-material-like” solution that facilitates proper identification and full recyclability of the cups within the correct polymer stream.
The innovation lies in the choice of materials.
Until few years ago, dairy cups have been predominantly made from polystyrene, material that had also been the go-to material for shrink sleeves used on these cups. However, unlike other plastics like PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PE (polyethylene) and PP (polypropylene), polystyrene lacked effective recovery and recycling streams, which meant it couldn't be easily recycled into new products. Instead, it ended up being incinerated, contributing to pollution and waste.
The turning point came when major retail chains started rejecting dairy products in non-recyclable polystyrene packaging. This triggered a significant transformation in the dairy packaging industry, prompting a search for more sustainable options. Polypropylene emerged as a preferable material for dairy cups. However, this shift introduced a new challenge: finding a suitable shrink sleeve material that would match the new polypropylene cups to facilitate the recyclability of the complete packaging.
This search resulted in the development of a polyolefin material, which could help the container be properly identified as PP. This innovation allows the material to be sorted and recycled alongside PP, offering it a viable solution for the new dairy cups.
To test and prove the feasibility of this combination within the recycling streams, Masterpress research and development team produced polyolefin shrink sleeves and applied them to the polypropylene dairy cups. These samples were then tested by Tomra, a leading producer of advanced collection and sorting systems. Their testing demonstrated that the polyolefin material was identified as PP in the recycling process, effectively creating a mono-material solution.
Further validation from RecyClass confirmed the recyclability of Masterpress’ polyolefin shrink sleeves on PP containers. The certification followed a close examination of factors like the solubility of adhesives and the stability of inks. RecyClass verified this solution was compatible with recycling processes and aligned with industry standards - an important step proving real life applicability of the proposed packaging.
In case of the TINE 300g Dairy Cup Sleeve, the journey to sustainability didn’t stop there. Initially developed the with polyolefin 50µ, Masterpress transitioned to 45µ, effectively reducing the amount of material for a lower carbon footprint.
Conclusion
The future of sustainable packaging lies in embracing a diverse range of materials and technologies, each playing a role in reducing environmental impact. As the industry moves forward, it is essential to balance innovation with practicality, ensuring that new solutions are not only environmentally friendly but also feasible and effective in real-world applications.
It involves technological innovation, strategic material choices, consumer engagement, and collaborative efforts across the industry. These efforts are not only about compliance but about leading the charge in ecological responsibility and setting a sustainable course for the future of packaging.