EU recycling targets – Magna Introduces Industry-First, 100% Melt Recyclable Foam and Trim Seating Solutions 14-10-2023

October 14, 2023

EU recycling targets

Magna Introduces Industry-First, 100% Melt Recyclable Foam and Trim Seating Solutions

Solution utilizes PET mono-materials in both foam and trim, contributing to the circular economy
Sustainable option without compromising comfort, style or performance
Magna partnering with TWE Group to create 100% recycled trim foundation

AURORA, Ontario, October 11, 2023 – Magna announces its EcoSphere™ product family, an industry-first solution that eliminates the disposal of seating foam pads and trim covers in landfills by utilizing mono-material polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with the company’s innovative 100% Melt Recyclable Foam and Trim system. Magna’s new EcoSphere product family is comprised of sustainable trim materials, trim padding, structures and foam.

The product family leverages Magna’s expertise in the integration of foam chemistry, trim manufacturing, craftsmanship and tooling to develop a seamless and affordable solution. In addition, the 100% Melt Recyclable Foam and Trim technology ensures that the look and feel of the seating materials remain consistent with industry standards, while significantly reducing the environmental impact. EU recycling targets

“As a top priority for our stakeholders, we recognize the need for innovative solutions that minimize environmental impact,” said Carrie Young, Chief Engineer, Seating Innovation, at Magna. “This unique product family enables our seating materials to be repurposed and reused in the creation of new polyester products, contributing to a circular economy approach. Our technology offers automakers a game-changing opportunity to enhance sustainability without compromising on comfort, quality or performance.”

Magna EcoSphere Trim Foundation is an essential part of the 100% Melt Recyclable Foam and Trim technology. Trim foundation can be found in every seat produced. It is laminated to the back of trim materials to provide support and a crisp appearance. To source 100% recycled materials for EcoSphere Trim Foundation, Magna has partnered with TWE Group, a multinational company that specializes in manufacturing technical textiles and nonwovens. TWE’s rePEaT® solutions include products made from recycled and biodegradable fibers. EU recycling targets

Magna’s sustainable seating approach contributes to the company’s net-zero goal by utilizing recycled and bio-based materials, implementing energy-efficient manufacturing processes and considering end-of-life management. This reduces greenhouse gas emissions and lowers the carbon footprint of Magna’s products.

To learn more about these new seating products, visit www.magna.com/products/seating-systems/sustainable-seating. EU recycling targets

Opaque white milk bottles to be recycled in Resilux and Inex collaboration

Resilux and Inex have unveiled the Rebirth series, which recycles opaque white milk bottles into new ones. The solution seeks to close the loop on ultra-high-temperature milk packaging.

In collaboration with Fost+, Resilux’s Poly Recycling division sorts the collected bottles into a separate stream, where they are ground, washed, and regranulated into food-grade feedstock. The Rebirth series claims to be between 20% and 40% lighter than HDPE bottles and thus offer a lower carbon footprint, alongside the establishment of a circular economy for the bottles. EU recycling targets

Inex’s aseptic PET line is set to enable flexible switching between different bottle sizes. The absence of an aluminium seal is also thought to be environmentally beneficial for the pack and enable horizontal storage without risking leakage.

The companies hope that the Rebirth solution will bring the industry together in a collaborative effort to close the loop on opaque white bottles and secure a more sustainable future for milk packaging. It also adheres to Resilux’s People, Planet, Product philosophy, in which collaboration with customers and stakeholders aims to develop the best solutions for protecting products. EU recycling targets

“At Resilux, we believe in the power of collaboration to address the pressing environmental challenges of today and tomorrow,” explains CEO Dirk De Cuyper. “By joining forces with Inex, we have achieved to develop our Rebirth series, an innovation that significantly reduces the reliance on virgin PET resources for packaging.

“This breakthrough enables us to recycle white opaque bottles into new ones without compromising on food safety or quality, while also providing optimal protection for a longer shelf life, through our ResiBlock light barrier solutions.” EU recycling targets

In similar news, One Stop and Veolia are working together on a system for in-store collection and bottle-to-bottle recycling – aiming to recycle over 380,000 milk bottles annually.

EU recycling targets

Coca-Cola and Grab Bring Back ‘Recycle Me’ Program

Beverage giant Coca-Cola has partnered with Southeast Asia’s super app Grab to launch the ‘Recycle Me’ recycling program, which seeks to nudge consumers into recycling their polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles.

This initiative is also in partnership with Yayasan Mahija Parahita Nusantara and Waste4Change. Post-consumer PET

Consumers who recycle their empty PET plastic bottles through the programs will get reward points that they can exchange for phone credits, electricity tokens, and e-wallets (electronic wallet money) on OVO. Consumers only need to submit eight used PET plastic bottles from Coca-Cola Indonesia’s range of beverage products. The Grab delivery service will deliver all the collected PET bottles to eight Mahija Parahita Nusantara collection centers located in the DKI Jakarta, Bekasi, and Tangerang areas.

According to a press release, the first 20,000 participating consumers can get a shipping fee subsidy of up to Rp 30,000. Also, the chance to earn e-wallets worth a maximum of Rp 15,000 on OVO. EU recycling targets Post-consumer PET

“We’re on a mission to collect more empty bottles so we can make new ones with them,” Triyono Prijosoesilo, Public Affairs, Communications, and Sustainability Director at PT Coca-Cola Indonesia was quoted as saying in a recent press statement.

“It’s a great fit with our ‘World Without Waste’ vision, under which we are working to support a closed-loop circular economy for our packaging in Indonesia,” Triyono said.

Coca-Cola Indonesia in June launched bottles made from 100% recycled PET (rPET), excluding its caps and labels. Coca-Cola Indonesia said one out of every three bottles that the company introduced into the Indonesian market is made from locally produced 100% recycled PET plastic. EU recycling targetsPost-consumer PET

Yayasan Mahija Parahita Nusantara will send the collected PET plastic bottles to Amandina Bumi Nusantara recycling facility. This is where the bottles will get recycled and become raw material so they can be converted into new bottles.

Amandina Bumi Nusantara processes locally sourced post-consumption PET bottles provided by Mahija Parahita Nusantara and converts them into new bottles, specifically into Coca-Cola’s 100% recycled PET plastic bottles. The facility is a joint cooperation between Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Indonesia (CCEP) and Dynapack Asia.

“Grab has set a Carbon Neutral and Zero Waste to Nature by 2040 goal. We believe that preserving the environment and minimizing climate change impact would ensure long-term economic success for our partners and community. Therefore, through this partnership with Coca-Cola, Yayasan Mahija Parahita Nusantara, and Waste4Change, we are actively supporting the promotion of recycling habits in Indonesia as our concrete step to achieve zero packaging waste in nature by 2040,” Tirza Munusamy, Chief of Public Affairs, Grab Indonesia said. Post-EU recycling targetsEU recycling targetsconsumer PET

This marks the third year of the Recycle Me program which grows in scale and partner involvement every year. Every time a consumer takes part in the program, it also helps plastic bottles to have another life.

“Once again, we look forward to consumers joining the ‘Recycle Me’ program by collecting, sorting, and sending in their empty PET plastic bottles.

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EU recycling targets

Sinopec NZRCC Selects Lummus’ Polypropylene Technology for Large-Scale Plant in China

Novolen^® technology recognized for sustainability benefits, product flexibility, minimizing CAPEX and OPEX, and maximizing financial returns

HOUSTON, Oct. 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Lummus Technology, a global provider of process technologies and value-driven energy solutions, announced a contract from Sinopec Ningbo Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Co. Ltd. (Sinopec NZRCC), a subsidiary of the Sinopec Group and its flagship refining and petrochemical company. Sinopec NZRCC will license Lummus’ Novolen^® technology for a new 500 kilo ton per annum polypropylene plant in Ningbo, China. EU recycling targets

“With this award, our Novolen business strengthens its position in China and globally, reinforcing it as the industry’s leader and preferred process for producing high-quality polypropylene,” said Romain Lemoine, Chief Business Officer of Polymers and Petrochemicals, Lummus Technology. “We look forward to supporting Sinopec NZRCC’s project to build this highly competitive plant by providing timely, superior process design- and implementation services.”

Lummus’ scope includes the technology license, basic design engineering, training and project engineering services.

Today, Novolen is the industry’s leading polypropylene technology and can deliver a sustainable route for polymers production, while maximizing the financial benefits of operations through lower CAPEX and OPEX. The technology is highly flexible, robust, energy efficient and allows production of a full grade slate of leading polypropylene products of all product families, including homopolymers, random copolymers, terpolymers, impact copolymers and rTPO’s. EU recycling targets

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EU recycling targets

High imports and low demand for European plastics threaten EU recycling targets, says Plastics Recyclers Europe

Plastics Recyclers Europe warns that the European plastics industry could be threatened by low demand for recyclate produced in the EU and high imports from outside the continent – recommending an independent third-party certification system to ensure transparency and traceability.

Since the beginning of 2023, recyclate prices have apparently decreased by up to 50% and cheap material imports from outside the EU have gone up. All recycled polymers are said to have been affected; to name one example, PET imports to the EU have reportedly increased by 20% between Q2 2022 and Q2 2023, lowering demand for EU rPET and reducing rPET production by an estimated 10%. EU recycling targets

Manufacturers of PET beverage bottles are looking to increase their use of recycled content as the Single Use Plastics Directive’s targets are approaching, Plastics Recyclers Europe explains – but, instead of rPET produced within Europe, non-transparent imports from non-European countries are thought to have become increasingly popular for meeting this demand.

The organization calls for action to be taken to reduce pressure on recyclers, cautioning that Europe could fail to meet its newly proposed, legally binding recycling and recycled content targets if nothing is done. It recognizes legislation as a powerful tool in the pursuit of circularity for plastics, yet underlines that it must be adequately enforced to ensure it is effective. EU recycling targets

An independent third-party certification system is suggested as a means of preventing untraceable, unverified plastics imports and declarations. Similarly, it is expected to boost traceability, especially for food contact materials, and increase the transparency of the origin of recycled plastics.

“The future of the recycling industry is at stake and immediate action in form of enforcement measures is needed to avoid a shutdown of recycling plants across Europe,” said Ton Emans, president of Plastics Recyclers Europe. “Ceasing recycling activities would have knock-on effects on jobs, overall economy in Europe and the environment.”

Mark Victory, senior editor, Recycling at ICIS, recently spoke with Packaging Europe about the effect of lowering prices on demand for recycled materials. Although he states that rPP and rHDPE made a comeback last month, recycled polyolefins are expected to remain low in demand for the rest of the year. EU recycling targets

In another article, he examined the shortage of mechanically recycled polymers suitable for packaging application and the pressure from regulators and consumers for sustainable solutions, and what this means for the industry.

Penn Color receives a joint Recyclability Approval from RecyClass and EPBP

Latest independent testing proves Penn Color’s ‘66UV11964’ UV blocker as compatible with the clear transparent and coloured PET bottle recycling streams in Europe.

UV light exposure can induce the degradation of specific vitamins, flavours, colorants, and additives, resulting in diminished potency and a shortened shelf life. Penn Color’s ‘66UV11964” UV blocker can be used in PET bottles to safeguard UV-sensitive contents against photodegradation when exposed to direct light, thereby protecting essential product characteristics like aroma, flavour, and colour. Recyclability evaluation was carried out to ensure that the additive does not cause yellowing on the PET matrix during the recycling process. EU recycling targets

Trials were carried out at Plastic Forming Enterprises (PFE) following the Recyclability Evaluation Protocol for PET bottles from EPBP[1], and results show that no significant deviations were observed on the quality of the produced recyclates. The stated approval is valid under the condition that the concentration of the UV stabiliser does not exceed 0.6 wt% in a PET bottle[2].

Following this process, Penn Color’s technology will be integrated within the RecyClass Online Tool[3] and will also be considered within the scope of RecyClass Recyclability Certifications[4] for plastic packaging. EU recycling targets

In general, the use of additives in the PET stream has caused issues for recycling due to the subsequent yellowing of the final recycled materials. What this approval shows to the industry is that with innovation it is possible to limit or avoid such adverse impacts on recyclates – and, therefore, move closer to a circular plastic future.

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Penn Color receives a joint Recyclability Approval from RecyClass and EPBP

Environmentally friendly microcapsules made from biopolymers

Biopolymers as shells for microcapsules will be the focus of a workshop on November 16, 2023, at the Fraunhofer Conference Center at the Potsdam Science Park. Biodegradable polymers and natural materials ensure manufacturers and users of microcapsules get their products approved under the EU Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). Experts from the Fraunhofer Technology Platform Microencapsulation will discuss how to apply natural raw materials to manufacture environmentally friendly microcapsules. The network concentrates current findings and identifies new opportunities for the use of microcapsules. EU recycling targets

In the future, new regulations in the European Union will prohibit the sale of products that contain intentionally added conventional microplastics and release them during use. Transitional periods of four to twelve years apply to applications in cosmetics, fertilizers, as well as detergents and cleaning agents. Natural materials and biodegradable polymers are key for products to not be subject to such regulations. EU recycling targets

“We are developing biodegradable microcapsules that are functional and cost-effective,” emphasizes Dr. Alexandra Latnikova, an expert in microencapsulation at Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP. For this, a deep understanding of polymer and particle formation processes is essential Latnikova adds. Microcapsules, for example, efficiently protect active ingredients and allow for targeted release. They thus improve the effectiveness and durability of products. The desired functionality of microcapsules often contradicts the requirements for rapid biodegradability in many applications. Parameters such as availability, stable quality, price, and sustainable sourcing of capsule wall materials also determine the basis for environmentally friendly microcapsules.

Developing new materials to meet these requirements is a focus of the scientists at Fraunhofer IAP. EU recycling targets

“All these parameters must be met to obtain solutions with high market potential. In recent years, we have seen a great interest in chemically cross-linkable, water-soluble polymers. These polymers save the use of solvents and avoid new investments, as it allows to use existing equipment. Water-soluble cellulose sulfate and aqueous nanocellulose dispersions are good examples,” adds Dr. Latnikova.

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Environmentally friendly microcapsules made from biopolymers

Advanced Recycling Reduces GHG Emissions in Plastic Production

Producing new plastic by advanced recycling of post-use plastic (PUP), instead of fossil-based production, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and increase the U.S. recycling rate, according to research by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory. The peer-reviewed life cycle analysis study appears in the November 2023 issue of Journal of Cleaner Production. EU recycling targets

This is the first analysis of multiple U.S. facilities taking PUP all the way to new plastics again. Specifically, the new plastics are low-density and high-density polyethylene (LDPE and HDPE, respectively). The recycling process used is pyrolysis, whereby plastics are heated to high temperatures in an oxygen-free environment. The main product is pyrolysis oil, a liquid mix of various compounds that can be an ingredient in new plastic. The oil can replace fossil ingredients like naphtha and gases to manufacture ethylene and propylene. They are two important monomers, or building blocks, for plastic production. EU recycling targets

“Advanced recycling can transform hard-to-recycle plastics into a multitude of high-value raw materials, reducing the need for fossil resources and potentially minimizing the environmental impact of waste management.” — Pahola Thathiana Benavides, Argonne principal energy systems analyst

The study collected 2017-2021 operating data from eight companies with varying pyrolysis oil production processes. The analysis shows an 18% to 23% decrease in GHG emissions when making plastic with just 5% pyrolysis oil from PUP compared to crude oil-derived LDPE and HDPE, respectively. EU recycling targets

When factoring in current end-of-life practices for many plastics in the U.S., such as incineration, there is a further 40% to 50% reduction in GHG emissions when manufacturing pyrolysis-based LDPE and HDPE, respectively, according to the analysis. Reductions are much higher (up to 131%) in the European Union as more PUP is currently incinerated.

“As advanced recycling becomes increasingly efficient, it is poised to play a major role in achieving global sustainability goals by reducing waste and GHG emissions,” said Argonne Principal Energy Systems Analyst Pahola Thathiana Benavides, a study author. ”It can transform hard-to-recycle plastics into a multitude of high-value raw materials, reducing the need for fossil resources and potentially minimizing the environmental impact of waste management.” EU recycling targets

Advanced Recycling Reduces GHG Emissions in Plastic Production

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EU recycling targets