Sustainable Plastics - October 2021 - 37

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set to increase to 25% and by
2030 to 50%. Also, Washington
state has recently announced a
schedule for PCR requirements
for different product categories,
starting with beverage containers
and trash bags in 2023, adding
certain household cleaning
and personal care products in
2025, and expanding to dairy
milk containers in 2028.
In addition to legislation, several
brand owners have been
setting voluntary targets following
the lead of the Ellen MacArthur
Foundation Global Commitment
which aims to have
25% of post-consumer recycled
content in plastic packaging by
2025. Many global PET beverage
bottle brands have even set
sustainability targets beyond
those required, averaging at
50% R-PET by 2025 in Europe.
Even extending to 100% R-PET
content in some European
markets in timeframes earlier
than 2025. In order to fulfil
their targets, companies need
to source recycled resins, and
applications such as beverage
containers and primary food
packaging, require high-quality
food grade recycled resins,
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recycling
Food grade capacity by region and by agency
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which are currently limited. Investment
is needed in collection
systems, consumer education,
and recycling capabilities
in order to increase the global
supply of recyclates to reach industry
targets.
In the long term, chemical recycling
can be a potential complementary
solution to mechanical
recycling to secure supply of
recycled resins suitable for food
contact applications. The industry
has high expectations for the
higher volumes of feedstock that
chemical recycling can process,
in addition to its source, as any
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waste stream can potentially be
used, including films and flexible
packaging. Recycled resins
produced through chemical
recycling have near-identical
properties to virgin and as such
are not subject to food-contact
regulation restrictions.
However, despite current
investments in chemical recycling
facilities, ICIS expects
that industrial scale may not
be achieved before the 2030
deadlines for mandates and
sustainability related pledges.
Moreover, the magnitude of its
environmental impact as well as
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its legal status are unclear.
In conclusion, immediate
measures are needed to improve
collection rates and sorted fractions
while reducing contamination
in the recycling stream, in
addition to mid and long-term
solutions, such as regulations
and technologies. Including a
review of the criteria around the
food safety regulations, such as
the 95% feedstock origin, which
presents more challenges for
polymers that have lower concentrations
of food contact material
from origin in their overall
waste stream.
Sustainable Solutions.
Endless Innovation.™
Solutions for Plastics Upcycling
and Circular Economy
PERFORMANCE
VALUE
*relevant for the European countries with taxes on virgin materials
- consult your tax advisor
Superior Mechanical Properties
End Product Durability and Aesthetics
Multi-material Design Flexibility
Versatile End Use and Functionality
Up to 5x
CirKular+™ additives enable a balanced equilibrium in performance and value enhancement for virgin,
bioplastics, and post-consumer (PCR) and post-industrial plastic recycling streams for recyclers,
compounders, converters and brand owners.
October 2021
37
Formulation Cost Efficiency
Increased Process Efficiency
Enhanced PCR Content, End of-Life
Recyclability and Reusability
Tax Incentives with Recycled Materials*
Environmental Impact with Lower CO
and Plastic Waste Reduction
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Sustainable Plastics - October 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Plastics - October 2021
