A Valencia-based innovation hub has launched a project to develop recyclable clear flexible packaging for food.
The Plastics Technology Centre, known as Aimplas, announced it would work with film producer Covinil and Spanish supermarket Eroski on the Bottle4flex initiative.
It aims to produce 100 per cent recyclable flexible material that can be wrapped tightly around food products to give a sustainable premium shopping experience.
This ‘skinpack’ will be based upon recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) to comply with Spanish regulations.
Through innovations in chemical recycling and polymerisation technologies, the project consortium aims to overcome the challenges of recycling multilayer flexible plastic packaging.
Funding has been secured from the Spanish government and the EU.
The project will focus on solvolysis processes for recycling and modifying the properties of PET through partial depolymerization.
It also seeks to make use of innovative technologies such as reactive extrusion, as well as monomers and additives to increase the flexibility of rPET.
