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Chemical Recycling Closes the Loop for Arla’s Cheese Maturing Bags

A pilot conducted by Arla Foods results in a circular packaging for the cheese maturing bags used by the dairy foods company.

Arla Foods Sustainable Packaging
Through the pilot, Arla Foods is finding a new use for its maturing film previously sent to incineration and are closing the loop by applying the recycled material into new food packaging.

Keeping plastic in the loop is the goal of a new pilot undertaken by international dairy foods company Arla Foods and film producer Südpack whereby a portion of the cheese maturing bags used in Arla’s cheese production process are being chemically recycled and made into new packaging. The pilot relies on Recenso’s Carboliq chemical recycling process, which is being done at an industrial-scale pilot facility in Ennigerloh, Germany, jointly operated by Südpack, Clean Cycle Investments, and Recenso’s subsidiary, which also goes by the name Carboliq.

Cheese maturation is a scientific process that develops the flavor and texture of cheese over time. At its Rødkaersbro dairy in Denmark, Arla matures its mozzarella cheese by placing it in specially designed maturing bags for about two weeks. The plastic bags are made of multiple film layers that act as a barrier to oxygen, preventing the formation of mildew and the emergence of pathogens and harmful microflora. Because of its multilayer construction, the bags cannot be recycled through mechanical means. Instead, the 220 metric tons of maturing film used by Arla each year are incinerated.


   Read related article, “Heinz Makes Good Use of Tesco-Collected, Advanced Recycled PCR.”


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