Improved paper packaging recyclibility

This item is reassuring as it tells us that we continue to make real progress.  At some point all packageing but be readily recyled and otherwise bio degraded.  we are getting there.

Yet it is also a reminder that it always takes years to get there however desirable.  Think electric cars.

I saw developed protocols thirty years ago the only serrved to redefine the problem.  so be patient, but we will arrive and all ocean plastic will disappear..

NEW RESEARCH IDENTIFIES ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY BARRIER WHICH DRAMATICALLY IMPROVES PAPER PACKAGING RECYCLABILITY

Soluble barrier maximises fibre recovery rates critical to meeting circular economy

New barriers are non-toxic, marine safe and dissolve, leaving no trace

No compromise on packaging functionality

For immediate release: 5 May 2021

New research conducted by Aquapak Polymers highlights that ‘recycle ready’ adhesives and fully soluble barriers can replace plastics in fibre-based packaging, making it fully recyclable in high volume recycling mills. The new technology is non-toxic, marine safe, dissolve and subsequently biodegrades, but still provides the much-needed functionality required for food, drink and household product packaging.

The study was commissioned as the move to replace conventional, hard to recycle and single use plastics has resulted in a wide va­riety of fibre-based packaging formats combined with alternative functional barriers being introduced into the recovered paper recycling streams.

However, the materials currently being used to give paper the packaging functionality required for products such as food, drink and household goods, are not easily recyclable and mean that the paperboard is rejected because paper mills cannot process the paper and plastic combinations. Instead, they are incinerated or go to landfill.

The research focused on Hydropol, a com­mercially available fully soluble, biodigestible barrier polymer, which can be adhesive or extrusion coated onto paper and brings a number of benefits to fibre-based packaging, including oil and grease resistance together with a high gas barrier. Hydropol has also been shown to increase some paper strength properties (tear, burst, puncture and tensile strength), allowing coated or laminated papers to be heat-sealed for ‘form, fill and seal’ fibre packaging applications.

Hydropol is designed to solublise at the typical re­pulping temperatures and durations used by high volume recy­cling mills allowing fibre to be dispersed to make new paper. Independent tests reveal that once solubilised, even when Hydropol coated paper forms 20% of the fibre furnish, it is biodegraded in the mills’ anaer­obic digestion and aerobic activated sludge treatments as part of its intended use. Hydropol is non-toxic and biodegradable in the marine environment should it be littered, forming no micro-plastics in the environment.

The results of the study confirm that most laminating adhesives can disrupt the recycling loop; they can ‘lock-in’ valuable fibre and, in some cases, result in more than a quarter of fibre associ­ated with some adhesive laminated packs being lost from the paper recycling process. Using non-repulpable laminating adhe­sives could consign paper and board packaging to the ’Don’t Re­cycle’ category – an undesirable outcome for producers, brands and retailers who are turning to paper fibre-based packaging as the ‘green’ alternative to plastic.

John Williams, Chief Technical Officer at Aquapak and co-author of study whitepaper, comments: “Maximising fibre recovery rates is the goal of a circular economy approach and the design­ing of recyclability in packaging should focus on the practicali­ties of fibre recovery in the mill and at eliminating all elements contained in packaging such as adhesives and conven­tional plastics, which impact on negatively on this process.”

“The study illustrates the importance of designing-in and test­ing fibre-based packaging to confirm recyclability under the re­pulping conditions used by high volume recycling mills. In addition, the work demonstrates that ‘recycle-ready’ packaging adhesives and fully soluble, bio-digestible barrier systems are available to designers to manufacture recyclable fibre-based packaging.”

For full results of the study ‘Designing recyclability into fibre-based packaging using fully soluble bio-digestible barrier systems’, visit https://www.aquapakpolymers.com/request-white-paper/

HydropolTM - all the benefits of plastic packaging but without the problems with recycling

Aquapak has developed a novel biodegradable, non-toxic and water-soluble polymer called HydropolTM which is three times stronger than alternatives and is designed to be used in existing thermo-processing equipment, giving it a wider range of applications. HydropolTM enables up to 100% paper/board recovery whatever the percentage packaging makeup.

The base plastic is currently used for dishwasher tablets, ingestible pill casings and soluble stitches. HydropolTM ‘s resistance to low temperature solubility and high barrier to elements adds functionality, providing a wider range of uses. It can be recycled, re-pulped, composted and is distinctively compatible with anaerobic digestion. Furthermore, if unintentionally released into the natural environment, HydropolTM – which is non-toxic and marine safe - will dissolve and subsequently biodegrade, leaving no trace.

Blown film products commercially available and made from HydropolTM include garment bags, ESD bags, organic waste disposal bags and laundry bags for infection control. Its solubility makes it easy to separate from other materials, simplifying the confusing recycling options that exist for different packaging.

Extrusion coatings and laminates for paper/board applications are at customer production trial stage, including a number of home delivery and ecommerce applications, packaging for dried pet food, snacks, cooked meat and convenience food applications.

Other applications under development with customers and development partners include injection mouldings and injection moulded parts such as golf tees, non-woven fibre for applications such as wet wipes and cellulose combinations for thermoformed trays.