A collaborative development project participated in by a team of five companies working closely together has led to the development of a multi-barrier casing for meat products made via advanced recycling of post-consumer plastics.
DSM, Sabic, Cepsa, Fibrant, and Viscofan - two raw material producers, an energy company, a producer of caprolactam, ammonium sulfate and their by-products and a casings expert - joined forces to develop a new sustainable recycled-based multi-layer casing solution without compromising on functional performance.
Produced by Viscofan, the newly developed sustainable casing consists of several layers of different polymers. DSM Engineering Materials supplied a high-performance certified circular polyamide and from Sabic came a high-performance certified circular PE from its Trucircle portfolio. Both products are based on used and post-consumer plastics which would otherwise end up in a landfill or be lost to incineration.
Using advanced recycling, the used plastic is converted into new feedstock, which then enters the production chain to deliver new virgin-quality materials.
With the introduction of Akulon CRC-MB, DSM is taking an exciting next step in its sustainability journey, said Jason Zhang, VP Business Lines Performance Polymers at DSM Engineering Materials.
The material is the result of a strong value chain collaboration. First, Sabic produces certified circular benzene, based on materials produced via mixed waste plastic feedstock recycling. The feedstock is used by Cepsa to make certified circular phenol. Fibrant then uses the phenol to produce certified circular caprolactam EcoLactam, which is supplied to DSM to produce its certified circular polyamide. Viscofan combines the certified circular polyethylene and polyamide into a multi-barrier film used to create casings for a variety of meat products.
Currently, food waste accounts for 8% of total global greenhouse gas emissions. Sustainable, recycled and recyclable multi-layer barrier films can help reduce these emissions by protecting food and extending the shelf life of food products.
All of the advanced recycled materials within the value chain will have the globally recognised ISCC Plus certification and will not require re-qualification.