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Packaging Recyclability and Flexible Packaging

The Association of Plastics Recyclers (APR) wants to ensure the health and economic success of the plastics recycling industry by providing critical guidance. The challenges of flexible packaging are pushing new innovations.

Sandi Childs, Director of Film and Flexible Programs at APR
Sandi Childs, Director of Film and Flexible Programs at APR

Sandi Childs, Director of Film and Flexible Programs at APR, spoke at today’s Innovation Stage presentation and said, “The entire supply chain has to work together to increase the supply of plastics available to be recycled, enhance the quality of the material that's expected to go back into the marketplace, and ensure that there's adequate demand for products made from recycled plastics.”

Childs also said that “a package doesn't have to be ugly or brown in order to be ‘green.’ It can still be sexy and functional and lots of fun.” To that end the APR has created the APR Design Guide for Plastics Recyclability.

Recyclability is more than just resin numbers, and includes factors such as the polymer, the closure, the label, any inks that are directly printed, barrier layers, or other materials incorporated for product protection. Said Childs, “All of these features can interact with each other and can combine with the polymer to have a fairly significant effect on the recycling process.”

The APR has a recyclable classification program, which is met when all of the different features of a package are compatible with recycling, or, in the language of APR, “preferred.” These preferred features, according to Childs, include “standard workhorse additives; fully compatible; direct printing is preferred over labels. If a label is going to be used, it should be a polyethylene-compatible labels. And for the widest range of end uses, the color should be a light color, a buff or a white color, for putting the material into more uses.”

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