Amcor has announced the support of an ambitious three-year plastic recycling project led by the Danish Technological Institute. The co-funded innovation partnership Circular Recycling Innovation for Sustainable Packaging (CRISP) aims to establish the full-scale circular recycling of food packaging in polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) rigid plastics from household collections.
Besides Amcor, the project will involve major food manufacturers and waste management specialists. Amcor will bring recycling and technical expertise from its state-of-the-art CleanStream facility in Leamington Spa, UK, and their packaging production facility in Randers, Denmark, utilizing its knowledge, skills and experience in producing and designing food packaging in recycled materials.
The CRISP partnership has the potential to significantly contribute to the implementation of a circular plastic economy in Denmark. The effort is timely with the EU targeting a plastic recycling rate of 55% by 2030. The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) stipulates that by the same year, the majority of plastic packaging must be designed for recyclability, allowing materials to be reused or recycled effectively.
“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.”
It is anticipated that the CRISP partnership will help develop and mature a systemic solution to deliver food-grade packaging from post-consumer sources. Collaboration is the driver for this change and focus will also be on the documented traceability of food contact materials in the recycling loop. The goal is to create a new, fully circular, market for the circular recycling of food packaging in rHDPE and rPP.
All this aligns with Denmark’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme, which obligates producers to pay for the packaging they place on the market, while also offering financial incentives for more sustainable product design and material selection.
Christian Bruno said, “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 highs; the project will make a strong business case for the entire value chain, with improved traceability of food contact materials in the recycling system.”
Business Manager Per Sigaard Christensen from Danish Technological Institute said, “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.”
Amor’s proprietary CleanStream technology mechanically recycles domestically recovered household waste into high-purity recycled plastic. It can operate within existing waste management infrastructures. In the UK, Amcor’s Leamington Spa facility has the capacity to recycle nearly 40% of all UK PP waste collected from domestic recycling bins.
