Collaborative Effort Launches Premium Snack Packaging with 50% Recycled Plastic

Collaborative Effort Launches Premium Snack Packaging with 50% Recycled Plastic

(IN BRIEF) Several supply chain partners have joined forces to introduce new premium snack packaging made with 50% recycled plastic. Launched for PepsiCo’s Sunbites brand in the UK and Ireland, the packaging meets stringent EU regulatory requirements for food contact. Through an advanced recycling process, post-consumer plastic waste is transformed into TACOIL™, then into virgin-quality recycled polypropylene resin by INEOS Olefins & Polymers Europe. IRPLAST converts the resin into packaging films, while Amcor prints the packaging designs. This initiative aligns with PepsiCo’s sustainability goals and demonstrates the efficacy of advanced recycling technologies in achieving circularity and reducing environmental impact.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 14-Mar-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — Several partners from across the flexible food packaging supply chain have worked together to launch new, premium quality snack packaging that contains 50% recycled plastic and meets stringent food contact requirements.

The new packaging was launched in the UK and Ireland for Sunbites, PepsiCo’s well-known snack brand, in late 2023. The packaging is made by recycling plastic waste into food grade packaging material. This is done using an advanced recycling process, a complementary approach to mechanical recycling, which enables the recycled materials to satisfy the demanding EU regulatory requirements for applications such as food contact packaging, contact sensitive and medical devices.

Brands and retailers use flexible film packaging to ensure food maintains its freshness and prevent food waste.

Several partners across the entire supply chain collaborated to enable the launch of this attractive new circular packaging:

GreenDot ensured the procurement and supply of post-consumer plastic packaging waste, which was converted into TACOIL™ (pyrolysis oil) using Plastic Energy’s technology.

INEOS Olefins & Polymers Europe used this pyrolysis oil as an alternative to traditional fossil feedstock to first produce recycled propylene, before turning this into virgin-quality recycled polypropylene resin at the plant in Lavera, France.

IRPLAST uses the new resin to turn existing plastic packaging designs into new packaging films that contain 50% of post-consumer recycled materials and meet the food contact performance requirements.

Amcor transformed these films into printed packaging that delivers the same technical performance for PepsiCo.

Using these new polypropylene films, PepsiCo launched the Sunbites packaging in the UK. The partnership is part of PepsiCo Positive (pep+), the company’s end-to-end transformation, which aims to eliminate virgin fossil-based plastic in crisp and chip bags in Europe by 2030.

The recycled polymer content is certified under the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC PLUS) scheme, an independent third party who certify that it has been tracked through the production process using mass balance principles and that the claim being made is accurate.

The upcoming EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is expected to set out ambitious targets for recycling packaging waste for 2025 and 2030 across a range of materials and recycled content targets for plastics. The achievement demonstrates that advanced recycling technologies can play a critical role in meeting the growing demand for the safe, circular use of recycled materials in food contact products, helping the EU to achieve its 10% recycled content objective for contact sensitive plastic packaging by 2030.

As well as preventing plastic from ending up in the environment and reducing the use of fossil based raw materials, the circular re-use of ‘end of life’ plastic can also help to reduce total emissions.

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“GreenDot has announced a new ambition in Europe to recycle more plastic postconsumer waste into quality circular polymers for food plastic packaging. Next to our goal of becoming a feedstock provider for advanced recycling, GreenDot is acting as an enabler of providing pyrolysis oil, working with partners to return plastic waste currently lost from the value chain back into the recycling loop together with our partners.” Laurent Auguste GreenDot CEO.

“INEOS Olefins & Polymers Europe is delighted to play a part in this innovation from PepsiCo. Successfully producing high quality, food contact packaging from plastic waste demonstrates that alongside mechanical recycling, advanced recycling is vital for creating materials that can be used in demanding applications. We look forward to working with partners to leverage the range of solutions our business has invested in to accelerate packaging circularity. Examples include our Recycl-IN hybrid polymer range and new pilot line for fully-recyclable machine-direction orientation films.” INEOS Olefins & Polymers Europe North CEO, Rob Ingram

“At PepsiCo, we are proud to work with our industry partners towards more sustainable packaging solutions. We are excited about the Sunbites new packaging in the UK, and we look forward to learning from this pilot market and expanding it across more countries in the near future. Collaboration is key to progressing on our ambition to eliminate virgin fossil-based plastic in all our crisp and chip packaging in Europe by the end of 2030,” said Archana Jagannathan, Chief Sustainability Officer PepsiCo Europe.

“We are building a future where flexible packaging is part of the circular economy. Together with PepsiCo, we enhanced the material technologies on PepsiCo’s new crisp packet to make it easier to recycle. And we are beginning to integrate renewable and recycled content into PepsiCo’s packaging. To meet the demands of our clients like PepsiCo, we encourage more partners upstream to invest in the supply chains of these new materials.” Gerald Rebitzer, Sustainability Director at AMCOR

Note to Editors

INEOS is a global manufacturing company making the raw materials and energy used for everyday life. Its products make an indispensable contribution to society by providing the most sustainable options for a wide range of societal needs.

The GreenDot group is dedicated to address the plastic waste crisis by developing solutions and assets which close the circularity loop of plastics through the production of high-quality recyclates, including from difficult to recycle waste streams. The group’s portfolio spans both mechanical and chemical recycling, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) licensing services as well as consulting on EPR systems and design-for-recycling.

IRPLAST is an established producer of biaxially oriented polypropylene films (BOPP), some of which are converted internally for roll-fed wrap-around labels (for the food, beverage, dairy, personal & home care markets), for printed adhesive tapes and multipack solutions.

Amcor is a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging for food, beverage, pharmaceutical, medical, home and personal-care, and other products.

Media Contacts:

Alistair Shaw
(INEOS)
alistair.shaw@ineos.com

Alex Williams
(Media Zoo for INEOS)
alex.williams@mediazoo.tv
+447793207325

alexandre.dangis@green-dot.com
+32 475382787

SOURCE: INEOS