{"id":126689,"date":"2023-05-15T07:29:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-15T05:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=126689"},"modified":"2023-05-10T13:14:25","modified_gmt":"2023-05-10T11:14:25","slug":"idtechex-examines-whether-advanced-recycling-will-be-the-answer-to-sustainable-packaging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/idtechex-examines-whether-advanced-recycling-will-be-the-answer-to-sustainable-packaging\/","title":{"rendered":"IDTechEx Examines Whether Advanced Recycling Will Be the Answer to Sustainable Packaging"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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The\u00a0need for a circular economy has never been so urgent. Plastic\u00a0consumption is expected to double globally by\u00a02050, creating\u00a0environmental and human health risks. Not only is plastic waste\u00a0overflowing in landfills, but a\u00a0significant portion is mismanaged and\u00a0leaks into the environment: the OECD estimates that nearly 80 million\u00a0tonnes of plastic waste was mismanaged globally in 2019. With single-use\u00a0packaging composing a significant\u00a0amount of plastic waste generated\u00a0annually, demand for more circular packaging options is taking off.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most straightforward method to increase the sustainability of single-use plastic packaging is to increase its recycled content. However, mechanically recycled plastics face challenges in their application in packaging, particularly for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). Some of the biggest challenges include the degradation of mechanical properties with recycling, which causes recycled plastic to be \u201cdowncycled\u201d from packaging to other applications, and contamination, which can make recycled plastic unsuitable for many food-contact applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given\u00a0these issues, advanced recycling has emerged as a potential solution.\u00a0The allure of advanced recycling\u00a0methods, like solvent extraction,\u00a0pyrolysis, and depolymerization, is that they use thermochemical\u00a0reactions to\u00a0allow used plastic waste to be made into \u201cnew\u201d virgin\u00a0plastic, circumventing the issue of downcycling. Additionally,\u00a0mixed\u00a0plastics that can be difficult to separate can be processed with\u00a0advanced recycling methods and converted\u00a0into plastics suitable for\u00a0packaging. For these reasons, many view advanced recycling as the future\u00a0\u201canswer\u201d to\u00a0sustainable plastic packaging demand. But is this really\u00a0the case? IDTechEx\u2019s latest report, \u201cSustainable\u00a0Packaging Market 2023-2033<\/a>\u201d, explores this question and evaluates the real potential of advanced recycling for\u00a0sustainable packaging applications.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chemical Recycling and Solvent Extraction: Breaking Down the Key Technologies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Advanced recycling includes two main technology categories: solvent extraction and chemical recycling. Solvent extraction involves selectively dissolving the polymer and subsequently precipitating this to produce the pure polymer; ideally, this is a low-energy process that results in recycled polymers with properties close to that of the virgin polymer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concept of chemical recycling is taking an end-of-life plastic back to either its monomeric feedstock or further upstream to raw materials and allowing it to re-enter the value chain at virgin-grade quality, in theory, an infinite number of times. One key emerging chemical recycling technology is depolymerization, which takes a relatively homogeneous feedstock and breaks the material down into its constituent monomers via thermal, chemical, or biological processes. Depolymerization is particularly well-suited towards recycling PET (polyethylene terephthalate), commonly used in packaging applications. Another key process is pyrolysis, which converts mixed plastic waste into pyrolysis oil via thermochemical processes that can then be turned into polymer again. Here, there is the potential to process two of the most popular packaging plastics, PE (polyethylene) and polypropylene (PP), which can be difficult to mechanically recycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given\u00a0the advantages of advanced recycling methods, it is unsurprising that\u00a0many chemical suppliers, packaging\u00a0suppliers, and FMCG giants have\u00a0increasingly engaged with advanced recycling. IDTechEx notes that all\u00a0six of the\u00a0biggest FMCG companies by plastic usage (Coca-Cola, Nestle,\u00a0Unilever, PepsiCo, Mondelez, Procter & Gamble)\u00a0have partnerships\u00a0and\/or investments with different advanced recycling players. Some have\u00a0already debuted\u00a0packaging containing chemically-recycled plastic, like\u00a0Mondelez\u2019s Philadelphia Cream Cheese brand, which uses\u00a0chemically-recycled PP in its tubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chemical recycling will grow, but mechanical\u00a0recycling remains the dominant source of recycled plastics for\u00a0sustainable packaging. Source: IDTechEx – \u201cSustainable Packaging Market\u00a02023-2033\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Advanced Recycling: Looking Past the Excitement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

But is advanced recycling really a magic bullet for sustainable packaging? First, the true environmental advantages of advanced recycling (particularly chemical recycling) are still being debated. Many critics of chemical recycling technologies, namely pyrolysis, highlight flaws in lifecycle analyses (LCAs) conducted by chemical recycling players. One is the assumptions underlying LCAs that assume plastic waste would have otherwise been incinerated if not chemically recycled. Depending on the assumptions used, chemical recycling may be less beneficial than virgin plastic production in terms of carbon footprint. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, the economics of advanced recycling are heavily influenced by the individual process (i.e. yield, feedstock requirements by plastic-type & form, and efficiency at scale), infrastructure, government policy, and macroeconomic trends. These factors will heavily influence the \u201cgreen premium\u201d of advanced recycled plastics and the subsequent future adoption of such plastics. Given these questions in plant economics, it is unclear whether advanced recycling projects will be able to produce plastics that are financially competitive with virgin plastics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, there is the question of building capacity to meet demand. Even if advanced recycling projects address the first two concerns, both critical barriers to overcome, the current capacity for advanced recycling is significantly smaller than that of mechanical recycling. It will take years, if not decades, of investment and expansion for advanced recycling capacity to come close to meeting the demand for sustainable plastic packaging, not to mention the time lag for end-users to consider and then adopt chemically recycled plastics in their products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, can advanced recycling really be the \u201canswer\u201d to the rising demand for sustainable plastic packaging? With how significant the challenges that face advanced recycling are, it should not be considered as a magic bullet for the sustainable packaging industry. Even if it reaches its projected installed capacity, it can best be seen as part of the solutions available to increase sustainable packaging. While chemically recycled plastics may prove to help improve sustainability in packaging, the packaging market will be pushed forward by a multitude of solutions, including mechanically recycled plastics, design for recyclability, bioplastics, and designs that minimize plastic use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

IDTechEx Sustainable Packaging Market Forecast<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The new IDTechEx report, \u201cSustainable Packaging Market 2023-2033<\/a>\u201d,\u00a0carefully segments the market by twenty-one different materials, which\u00a0are extrapolated in the 10-year forecast to explore each segment\u2019s\u00a0current usage,\u00a0the potential for growth, and key players. Additionally,\u00a0IDTechEx provides comprehensive material benchmarking\u00a0studies,\u00a0examination of critical application areas, and in-depth market and\u00a0economic analysis. For further\u00a0information on this market, including\u00a0discussion on 95 sustainable packaging start-ups, material benchmarking,\u00a0and granular 10-year market forecasts, please visit\u00a0www.IDTechEx.com\/SustPackaging<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For\u00a0further information on the chemical recycling and solvent extraction\u00a0market, including 10-year market forecasts\u00a0for major chemical recycling\u00a0technologies, technology comparison studies, and player activity, please\u00a0see the\u00a0IDTechEx report, \u201cChemical Recycling and Dissolution of Plastics 2023-2033\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For the full portfolio of sustainability research available from IDTechEx, please visit\u00a0www.IDTechEx.com\/reports\/Sustainability.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

About IDTechEx<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Subscription and Consultancy products, helping you profit from emerging technologies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0need for a circular economy has never been so urgent. Plastic\u00a0consumption is expected to double globally by\u00a02050, creating\u00a0environmental and human health risks. Not only is plastic waste\u00a0overflowing in landfills, but a\u00a0significant portion is mismanaged and\u00a0leaks into the environment: the OECD estimates that nearly 80 million\u00a0tonnes of plastic waste was mismanaged globally in 2019. With single-use\u00a0packaging […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","nova_meta_subtitle":"Some of the biggest challenges include the degradation of mechanical properties with recycling, which causes recycled plastic to be \u201cdowncycled\u201d from packaging to other applications","footnotes":""},"categories":[17143],"tags":[17202,10416,7105,11966,10453],"supplier":[1245,14168,1775,600,455],"class_list":["post-126689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-recycling","tag-chemicalrecycling","tag-circulareconomy","tag-packaging","tag-plastics","tag-recycling","supplier-coca-cola-co","supplier-idtechex","supplier-pepsico","supplier-procter-gamble","supplier-unilever"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126689"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126689\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126689"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=126689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}