Europe exports 60% of plastics and 13% of paper collected for recycling to China - but this has ended. China has banned imports of 24 categories of waste, citing environmental concerns. European recyclers saw a huge opportunity.
The European Commission is due to announce its Plastics Strategy in January, aimed among other things at increasing the rate of plastic recycling (currently at 30%), stopping leakage into the environment, and encouraging the use of recycled materials.
However, the risk of toxic substances contaminating food already exists with virgin plastic, so it will only be higher with recycled packaging coming from old plastics that may contain banned chemicals, says Floriana Cimmarusti.
Packaging manufacturers like BPS, East West Packaging and PACQUEEN have stayed away from using recycled plastics in food packaging until now because of safety concerns. Instead of using recycled materials, these companies are dedicated to developing and producing fully recyclable pouch or fully compostable and biodegradable pouch.
Recycled plastics can come from very different places and contamination can happen very easily. Many types of plastics absorb chemicals during use and waste management, which are difficult to remove during recycling. The contamination risk with recycled plastic is clearly higher than with virgin plastic.
For environmentalists, this could be a step too far. In food, the risk of “contamination” from old products containing left-over chemicals that are now banned is simply too high, said Tatiana Santos, Senior Policy Officer on Chemicals at the European Environmental Bureau.
Recycled material is still a risk when it comes to food safety. When you’re looking for more sustainable food packaging, you should look at less-plastic or fully recyclable or plastic-free packaging solutions. Regarding the future of packaging, It’s all about recyclability and sustainability.
If PCR material is not workable, what are the sustainable alternatives?
Blog Author: Nicola Wu
Blog Editor: Jasmine Zhang
Contact BPS Team: inquiry@bestpackagesolutions.net
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