Industry associations collaborate to launch new recycled content guidelines
Three industry trade associations have collaborated to produce a new set of guidelines outlining the use of recycled content in plastic packaging applications.
The document, entitled ‘Recycled Content Used in Plastic Packaging Applications’, has been produced by the British Plastics Federation (BPF) in conjunction with the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA) and the Food and Drink Federation (FDF).
The new guidelines are aimed at companies wishing to include recycled content in food, drink, cosmetics and pharmaceutical packaging; and are also designed to help policymakers better understand sector-specific issues.
Information covered includes answers to questions about measuring recycled content, as well as highlighting important regulatory and technical considerations for packaging applications where the inclusion of recycled materials is currently prohibited owing to the rigorous safety requirements currently in place to protect human health.
It presents detailed guidance in the form of simple Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), answering questions like ‘what is a functional barrier?’ or ‘what is a challenge test?’.
It also highlights important factors to consider when incorporating recycled content into plastic packaging, such as the potential to generate extra waste or to render products unrecyclable by conventional means.
The BPF’s Plastics and Flexible Packaging Group Director Barry Turner commented: “The inclusion of recycled materials in packaging can have environmental benefits of resource efficiency and carbon savings.
“Therefore, we are extremely happy to be working alongside the FDF and CTPA to help ensure recycled content is maximized where it delivers the most benefit to the environment, and to help bring us closer to the circular economy.”
Helen Munday, FDF’s Chief Scientific Officer, said: “FDF members are increasingly looking at ways to incorporate recycled content into their packaging in keeping with efforts to build a truly circular economy for food and drink packaging in the UK.
“These guidelines will help both businesses and policy makers better understand the regulatory and technical considerations that apply including those factors that currently limit recycled content when it comes to plastics for food contact applications.”
Christine Lawson, CTPA’s Sustainability & Technical Affairs Manager added: “The cosmetics and personal care industry is fast moving and incredibly innovative. CTPA recognises that packaging plays a vital part in consumer choice as well as how a product is used and recycled, and welcomes this important collaborative guidance which will increase the understanding around the inclusion of recycled plastic content.
“It will inform and help companies build-in decisions from the early stages of product development to create the most sustainable ways of presenting products with minimum environmental impact and enhancing circularity of resources.”
Tim Chandler, Senior Scientific Officer at the Food Standards Agency concluded: “The FSA welcomes industry initiatives to produce voluntary guidelines for manufacturers and suppliers of food contact materials; including for the incorporation of recycled plastic content in plastic food packaging.
“These assist industry to achieve consistency and a high standard of finished product, ensuring the safety of materials for food contact applications.”
The document is available to download here.