Page 30 - Packaging New magazine Jan-Feb 2023

PLASTICS IN PACKAGING
• Multiple manufacturing platforms to convert recycled resins into products • Demand for recycled products, including regulatory setting and pro- curement policies to incentivise use
of recycled products
In his view, schemes and companies have failed in the past because one or more of these elements were missing.
APCO’s Chris Foley noted that the policy framework for packaging is currently under review. The Federal Government is raising the possibility of legislative change, reflecting community concern about plastics and packaging.
3POLICY AND REGULATIONS TO ALIGN ECONOMIC INCENTIVES Andrew Smith emphasised that recy- cling will only work with business drivers that are economically attrac- tive to all participants. PET recycling works, for example, because of the inherent value of the material, strong demand from brands and financial sup- port for collection through kerbside and container deposit schemes.
Economic drivers don’t exist for many other plastics, which is why additional support is required through either reg- ulation or stewardship. A frequently repeated comment from participants was that recycled plastics are more expensive than virgin resin and always will be, because of the additional steps required to collect the material, sort, and decontaminate it.
Economic incentives can be re- aligned in different ways. Preferential procurement for recycled products and packaging can provide the ‘market pull’ that supports the business case for investing in sorting or recycling facili- ties. Other options suggested by Mike Ritchie from MRA Consulting included raising the landfill levy to around $200 a tonne, removing subsidies on petro- leum (and therefore virgin plastics),
increased fines for illegal dumping, and continuing to support markets through grants and subsidies.
Once again, the South Korean Government is ahead of Australia in driving the economic transformation of recycling markets, with ambitious targets backed up by EPR laws and increasing disposal charges. Conference participants called for similar changes in Australia to provide a framework that incentivises investment and the diver- sion of recyclable material from landfill.
Above left: Chris Foley, APCO CEO, gives a reality check on plastic packaging recycling.
Above right: Dr Helen Millicer, SPE conference convenor, addresses a highly engaged audience.
135,000 tonnes
Expected combined capacity of advanced
recycling facilities planned for Australia over the next few years
hard-to-recycle soft plastics into a food grade polyethylene. This will have iden- tical properties to virgin resin, enabling local packaging manufacturers and brand owners to achieve the national packaging targets for recyclability and recycled content. Lifecycle analysis results from multiple studies indicate that this will result in a 40-50 per cent reduction in carbon emissions com- pared to virgin LDPE.
Other speakers reported on innova- tions in mechanical recycling to support the recovery of plastics back into higher value applications. Nextek’s Ed Kosior reported that artificial intelligence systems are being rapidly integrated in European material recovery facilities to identify objects by shape, evaluate composition, drive robotic systems and identify specific packages. Digital watermarks and fluorescent markers can be added to packaging to allow it to be sorted into food and non-food grade plastics. A new technology to decontaminate soft plastics, which can remove >99% of oils and chemical contamination is also being developed. These innovations show that we don’t need to rely entirely on advanced recy- cling to produce high quality resins suitable for food and other contact sen- sitive packaging applications. A circular plastics industry will require both.
OVERALL REFLECTIONS
It became clear over the three days of the conference that plastics circular- ity will require a major shift in the way that we produce and consume plastics. Among participants there was a strong sense of purpose and commitment to transform the plastics industry from a linear to a more circular system. The challenge will be to maintain the momentum to convert the knowledge, ideas and sense of purpose that emerged from the conference into real action. ■
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INNOVATION AND INVESTMENT
Speakers and participants agreed that we need innovation and investment in advanced recycling technologies, with a strong focus on recovery of mixed and soft plastics. The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) is leading the development of a new product steward- ship scheme for soft plastics. Barry Cosier presented AFGC’s vision for the scheme, which aims to recover soft plastics back into food grade and other contact-sensitive packaging. This will be supported by a pipeline of advanced recycling facilities planned over the next few years, which are expected to have a combined capacity of at least 135,000 tonnes.
Qenos CEO Stephen Bell expanded on plans for the company’s advanced recycling facility, which is expected to eventually recycle 100,000 tonnes of
IN MECHANICAL AND ADVANCED REC YCLING
Recycling will only work with business drivers that are economically attractive to all participants.
ANDREW SMITH, GM, PACT RECYCLING