Recyclable & recycled content – Parkside Flexibles

Recyclable & Recycled Content Packaging

Designing for consumer recycling

At Parkside, we always prioritise our global Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) agenda, and the packaging we create meets a variety of environmental objectives, depending on the needs of our customers. Whatever your packaging recycling or recycled content needs, Parkside has solutions. Of course, what matters is not what we say but what we do.

Designing for Consumer Recycling

Kerbside collection of flexible packaging for recycling is an increasingly possible and affordable method of recovery.

For now, supermarkets remain a leading option for recycling flexible substrates via their in-store collection services, and WRAP in the UK has released guidance to simplify this process for the consumer:

Recycling containers must be easy to find
The material should be referred to as ‘plastic
bags and wrapping’
Collection of all flexible plastic packaging must
be at front-of-store locations

As of 1 January 2022, OPRL also changed its labelling rules to include polypropylene (pp) films, crisp packets and metallised snack and chocolate wraps. This move ensures PP films are now in line with PE films, enabling consumers to recycle them within supermarkets easily.

At Parkside, we work closely with you to create packaging solutions that enable consumers to recycle their waste efficiently, and offer paper, PE, and PP monopolymer substrates ideal for supermarket and kerbside collection, where available.

Introducing Recoflex™

Plastic waste has captured the attention of consumers, governments and businesses around the world. It is vital that we move away from the linea take-make-waste model that we have become used to and significantly rethink how we design, use and reuse plastics. Moving forward, we must strive towards a circular economy where plastic packaging never becomes waste or pollution. Taking its responsibilities towards the environment seriously, Parkside has created a range of recyclable flexible packaging solutions that replaces non-recyclable aluminum foil and PET mixed polymer laminates.

Recoflex™ PE HB

High barrier single polymer Polyethylene laminates suitable for recycling through the carrier bag recycling infrastructure in large stores. Excellent puncture resistance compared to typical PE constructions, along with good heat resistance allowing for conversion down existing high-speed packing lines.

Recoflex™ PP HB

High barrier single polymer Polypropylene laminates that are recycle-ready, with a wide range of different constructions for many end-use applications. Recoflex PP HB is also available with bio-based renewable feedstocks that don’t affect the recyclability of the final product.

Recoflex™ Paper HB

High barrier paper recyclable products suitable for many end applications such as flow wraps, pouches and lidding. Recoflex Paper HB is heat sealable on one or two sides, with a high barrier to grease, oxygen, aroma and moisture, suitable for many food categories, including chilled and frozen applications.

To find out more about the Recoflex™ range, please get in touch

Designing with post-consumer recycled content

What is post-consumer recycled content (PCR)?

Post-consumer recycled content is a material composed of previously used and recycled materials. Instead of ending its lifecycle after a single use, it is redirected away from landfill or incineration and processed and repurposed for a new use, thus extending its lifespan and reducing its impact on our environment.

Why use PCR?

First, PCR creates a circular economy for materials, avoiding the linear model of ‘take, make, dispose’ and endeavouring to reuse materials as much as possible. The second benefit is that it avoids the production of new virgin materials, which minimises resource use and lowers the carbon footprint of the packaging manufacturing supply chain.

Are there any challenges in using PCR?

Yes. First when a material has already been used for another application it may be contaminated in some way. This contamination must be removed through a cleaning and sorting process in the recycling process. Second, not all PCR is suitable for use with sensitive goods such as food, it must therefore be used in packaging with appropriate functional barriers when required. And third, there are restrictions on the quantity of acceptable quality PCR available today due to the capacity and investment required in many countries’ recycling infrastructure. This can mean that recycled material prices are high relative to virgin materials.

The UK Plastic Packaging Tax – legislation to drive use of PCR

Introduced in April 2022, The UK Government implemented the UK Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT) to target large volume UK plastic packaging producers, importers, business customers and consumers – with some exemptions for smaller businesses to mitigate disproportionate administrative burdens.

The tax applies to plastic packaging produced in or imported into the UK that does not contain at least 30% recycled plastic. Following consultations in 2020, the government published that any packaging not containing at least 30% recycled plastic would be taxed at £200 per tonne and set out a process of how the tax will be collected, recovered and enforced. Therefore, any plastic packaging that contains recycled plastic over the 30% threshold will be exempt.

The government’s objective for the policy is to provide a clear economic incentive for businesses first to encourage the packaging industry to move to non-fossil fuel-based materials and secondly, should it need to utilise plastic, then to ensure the use of recycled material in the production process. In turn, it is expected that this will generate greater demand for sustainable solutions, as well as stimulating increased levels of recycling and collection of plastic waste, diverting it away from landfill or incineration and further supporting the drive towards a circular economy.

Parkside Recycled Content Solutions

Parkside offers a wide range of substrates and flexible packaging formats with >30% recycled content. Simply specify the requirement and the Parkside team will work with you to design your packaging accordingly.