Amcor is supporting a three-year plastic recycling project led by the Danish Technological Institute. The co-funded innovation partnership Circular Recycling Innovation for Sustainable Packaging (CRISP) is working towards the full-scale circular recycling of food packaging in polyethene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) rigid plastics from household collections. The CRISP partnership hopes to aid with the implementation of a circular plastic economy in Denmark.
Amcor
Amcor is set to support Danish food packaging recycling project
Major food manufacturers and waste management specialists will also be involved in the project, with Amcor providing recycling and technical expertise from its CleanStream facility in the UK, and its packaging production facility in Randers, Denmark. The company will leverage its knowledge and experience in producing and designing food packaging using recycled materials.
“Sustainable challenges require industry collaboration, and this partnership will demonstrate what can be done when the supply chain comes together,” said Christian Bruno, R&D Director for North-East Europe at Amcor. “We are proud to be part of a project that could potentially have a significant environmental impact in Denmark and set new standards worldwide.”
The CRISP partnership hopes to help develop and mature a systemic solution that delivers food-grade packaging from post-consumer sources. There will be a focus on the documented traceability of food contact materials in the recycling loop, with the goal being to create a new, fully circular market for the circular recycling of food packaging in rHDPE and rPP.
The project aligns with Denmark’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme, which obligates producers to pay for the packaging they place on the market. Additionally, there will be financial incentives for more sustainable product design and material selection.
Bruno continued, “The long-term goal is to establish circular loops for food plastic packaging aligned with the design guidelines from the PPWR. The EU’s goals are driving this industry to greater heights; the project will make a strong business case for the entire value chain, with improved traceability of food contact materials in the recycling system.”
“We are delighted to bring together this highly knowledgeable and innovative consortium. This three-year project has the potential to provide a clear pathway towards the circular recycling of PE and PP food packaging,” said Business Manager Per Sigaard Christensen from Danish Technological Institute.
The CleanStream technology mechanically recycles domestically recovered household waste into high-purity recycled plastic and can be added to existing waste management infrastructures. Amcor’s Leamington Spa facility can recycle nearly 40% of all UK PP waste collected from domestic recycling bins.