One of the main keys of the future European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) refers to the need to promote the recovery of packaging materials and to introduce recycled content in packaging.

However, to meet these objectives, it is necessary to have innovative recycling processes that allow the processing not only of traditional plastics but also of others that are more complex to recycle (multilayer plastics, multimaterials and complex plastics, among others) and to obtain new quality raw materials from them. In this context, innovation and development in terms of recycling technologies and improvement of material properties play a key role in the transition process towards a circular economy.

 

 

In this sense, the industry is working on the optimization of mechanical recycling processes and other alternative technologies such as chemical recycling and enzymatic recycling, which make it possible to break down plastics into basic monomers that can subsequently be reused to manufacture new high-quality plastics. These advances are of great relevance for multilayer packaging and materials that are difficult to recycle mechanically, but their effective implementation will require optimization to reduce the costs and times of the new processes.

 

In addition to improving recycling processes, ensuring the quality and safety of recycled materials is key to enabling their use in high value applications such as food packaging. Thus, industry is embracing the use of recycled materials for high value-added packaging such as household, cosmetics and even food, showing that it is possible to integrate high quality recycled materials without compromising the functionality of the products. However, meeting European requirements requires the development of innovations that guarantee the quality and durability of recyclates in new applications and sectors, increasing their competitiveness.

 

Therefore, in line with our strategy to support the needs of the industry, ITENE promotes the circular economy from the development of recycling technologies, separation and sorting of packaging to the evaluation of its materials to ensure that they meet the sustainability requirements.

 

Undoubtedly, in order to achieve the objectives set by the future packaging regulation, it is essential that recycling technologies are linked to the available technology in an economically viable way, which requires the industry to make a firm commitment to innovation. This is the only way to foster the development of advanced recycling solutions that meet the stringent targets of the regulation and contribute to the move towards a circular economy model in Europe.