Food-grade Plastics: A means to Curbing Virgin Plastic Production
With packaging accounting for the largest share of plastic use (42% of global plastic use in 2016), greater incorporation of recycled plastic in the industry could prevent a significant amount of plastic from being produced and ending up in our environment. Unfortunately, most plastic packaging is intended to be single-use and thus accounts for about half the global plastic waste. A main challenge in increasing the amount of recycled plastics that are used in the packaging industry is the fact that when it comes to food packaging, the plastic must be food-grade material and this requires special processing to make sure they are free of contaminants and are approved to handle food items. In order for a material to be considered as such, it must be able to withstand the environment in which it will be used and be compatible with the type of food it will come in contact with to not have chemical leaching of any kind.
In 1990, Coca-Cola began blending recycled plastics into its beverage bottles for the first time. By 1997, the company Preserve was producing tableware, food storage containers, and kitchenware made from recycled polypropylene. Today, plastic recycling has grown immensely and is being incorporated into more products than ever before. Plastics are generally safe and achieving the food-grade label is not much of an obstacle for virgin plastic. However, when it comes to recycled plastic, there is a bit more variation based on the polymer type. The most commonly used polymer for food packaging is rPET (recycled polyethylene), followed by PP (polypropylene), and rHDPE (recycled High-Density Polyethylene), which is reviewed by the FDA on a case-by-case basis due to the possibility of becoming unsafe for food contact during the recycling process. However, technology has recently made rHDPE much easier to recycle into food-grade recycled plastic. Currently, the USFDA has only approved the use of post-consumer recycled HDPE for 21 cases. As a focus on sustainability grows in the packaging industry, demand for these recycled polymers is likely to increase as well as the development of bioplastic alternatives, which have the potential to be both recyclable or biodegradable.
The approval for food-grade recycled plastic depends on the GFSI standards, which is a nonprofit that benchmarks different food safety certification programs. There are four main certifications approved by GFSI — the British Retail Consortium (BRC), the Food Safety System Certification (FSSC 22000), the International Featured Standards (IFS), and the Safe Quality Food Institute (SQF). The BRC certification can be used by any manufacturer producing materials for all types of products and food consumer goods. The FSSC certification is based upon existing ISO standards (ISO 22000) in addition to sector-specific prerequisite programs. IFS was developed by the Canadian Packaging Consortium and manages the safety of packaging materials made from rigid plastic, flexible packaging, glass, etc. Finally, the SQF codes were developed in Australia in 1994 and meet the needs of the entire food supply chain. Of the four, IFS and BRC certifications are the most prescriptive.
Although there is still plenty of room to improve, some companies like Nestlé are taking the steps and making commitments to increase the amount of recycled plastic in their packaging. Nestlé has committed to sourcing two million metric tons of food-grade recycled plastic and allocating more than $1.5 billion to pay a premium for these materials. Most recently on August 29th, the Erema Group in the US obtained a letter of no objection (LNO) from the FDA approving the recycling of HDPE scrap into milk and juice bottles, meat trays, and disposable cutlery and tableware. This covers the use of HDPE at up to 100% in new products. The reusable plastic containers brand, Tupperware also recently released its eco+ line, which the company describes as using “circular polymers” created by depolymerizing mixed plastics into high-quality food-grade plastic. The company launched its “No Time to Waste” campaign in 2019 and partnered with the Ellen McArthur foundation by committing to the New Plastic Economy goals. The incorporation of more recycled plastics in the manufacturing process has been in the works for a while now. The company says that in their prior efforts to use recycled content in their products, they couldn’t find material that met the required quality standards. Until last year, when they turned to chemical recycling. Tupperware and its supplier SABIC (Saudi Basic Industries Corp.) became one of four companies to introduce ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) certified circular polymers made from chemically recycled mixed plastics.
Chemical recycling offers a solution when brand owners can’t compromise on performance and mechanical recycling often degrades the quality of plastic as it only washes the plastics and melts them down. On the other hand, chemical recycling methods have the ability to recover the original raw materials which can be remade into high-quality resins. Chemical processes are also more tolerant of contamination and eliminate the issues pertaining to downcycling. However, chemical recycling is not the norm for a reason. In order to make the technology profitable, they require large and costly plants and a lot of plastic waste. As the technology improves to be more economically feasible and more brands incorporate sustainability looking towards more circular business plans, chemical recycling could definitely offer a solution. Especially when oil prices are so low that investing in recycled plastic is more costly. To be able to produce high-quality recycled materials that can compete with virgin plastic at a low cost would be a gamechanger in the recycling market.
In the meantime, mechanical recycling has to be improved and fulfill the potential it does have. The change in consumer behavior and brand commitments has led to demand surpassing the available supply, especially for food-grade materials. Food-grade material prices for polymers such as rPET and rHDPE, are trading above virgin plastic prices due to structural shortages. Despite legislation pushing for increased incorporation of recycled materials, it’s not that easy to accomplish because EU legislation for food-grade approval requires that recycled input waste be sourced from at least 98% former food contact packaging but there is no pre-separated post-consumer collection system in most of mainland Europe.
The consumer mindset is shifting, and people are more aware of how their choices as consumers have an environmental impact. Surveys have shown that customers have positive feelings towards companies incorporating more recycled plastic in product packaging. Additionally, surveys have also shown that customers are more likely to feel inclined to buy a product that uses recycled plastic packaging over one that does not. As the technology continues advancing and becomes more feasible to adopt and implement, recycled plastic will hopefully start becoming the norm for packaging of all sorts. However, governments also have to be aware of the challenges and support these goals with the proper infrastructure and legislation.
Sources:
https://cen.acs.org/environment/recycling/Plastic-problem-chemical-recycling-solution/97/i39
https://www.fda.gov/food/packaging-food-contact-substances-fcs/recycled-plastics-food-packaging
