Producers, recyclers, and global brands have formed a consortium to develop an industrial chemical recycling industry in France. The consortium includes Total, plastic recycling technology provider Recycling Technologies, and global brands Nestlé and Mars.
The consortium will examine the technical and economic feasibility of recycling complex plastic waste, such as small, flexible, and multilayered food-grade packaging. These products are currently considered nonrecyclable and are either incinerated or disposed of in landfills. “New recycling technologies, such as chemical recycling, will take performance to the next level and accelerate the circular economy for post-consumer plastic waste, especially when it is complex,” said Jean Hornain, CEO of Citeo (Paris), a nonprofit targeting a reduction in the environmental impact of packaging and paper.
“By addressing the circular economy challenges of food-grade plastics, chemical recycling is a perfect addition to our existing mechanical recycling activities,” said Bernard Pinatel, president, refining and chemicals at Total. “The project announced today to develop an industrial sector involving major players in the packaging value chain is an important step in our ambition to produce 30% recycled polymers by 2030.”
Mars has set a goal for 100% of its plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable, or compostable packaging by 2025. “We plan to reduce unnecessary packaging, redesign for circularity, and invest to close the loop,” said Kate Wylie, global vice president/sustainability at Mars. “Identifying and investing in the right waste management systems is a critical part of the solution to address the plastic waste problem. We support this new pyrolysis project in France to help identify circular systems for post-consumer plastic packaging and consequently increase the scale of recycling across Europe.”
“We are aiming for 100% of our packaging to be reusable or recyclable by 2025. Combining our expertise in a collective project to improve recycling is something we need to do to tackle the global plastic issue,” said Mathieu Tuau, head of packaging and sustainability at Nestlé France.
By Natasha Alperowicz
Source: Chemical Week
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