Working in collaboration with the French energy major Total, packaging solution provider Paccor has successfully developed a thermoformed container which incorporates 37% recycled PP derived from post-consumer waste. The company claims that the mechanical properties and appearance of the new containers are equivalent to their counterparts made from virgin resin for non-food applications.
The goal is to reach packaging made from 100% recycled material by 2025. The companies decided to tackle the challenge in steps, with the next being to develop PP packaging with 50% recycled PP content. The difficulty lies in obtaining a consistent quality of the recyclate produced from post-consumer waste, as the raw material can vary greatly. Paccor and Total have combined their very considerable formulation and processing expertise in order to work towards this goal.
"We are proud that our collaboration with Total enabled us to make this ground-breaking circular offering available to our customers, for non-food applications," said Andreas Schuette, CEO of Paccor.
The development is in line with Total’s commitment to expand the availability in the market of recycled, high-performing products, ultimately producing 30% recycled polymers by the year 2030.
Paccor is also looking ahead at further developments, including the creation of food approved rPP, as well as the use of quality sorting solutions such as the Digimarc Barcode in the PP value chain, to deliver change at wide scale.
"When it comes to fundamental changes, collaboration is key. This is why we are committed to partner with forward-thinking players all along the value chain," said Marketa Voglova, VP Group Procurement at Paccor.