View news and innovations from PACK EXPO 2024
View all the latest news and innovations from PACK EXPO International 2024

Scaling Solutions for Film and Flexible Packaging Recycling

At the Plastics Recycling Conference, the Association of Plastic Recyclers and Canada’s Éco Entreprises Québec share results from recent reports that explore solutions for film and flexible packaging recycling.

Plastics recycling
Charles David Mathieu-Poulin, lead, Governmental and External Relations, Éco Enterprises Québec (EEQ), and Kate Eagles, program director for The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), share their respective organizations’ efforts to find solutions to the film/flexible packaging recycling issue at the Plastics Recycling Conference.

At last week’s Plastics Recycling Conference, the end-of-life challenges related to film and flexible packaging were referenced throughout a number of sessions, with one specifically focused on the topic: “Film and Flexibles Volumes, Collection & Processing: Scaling National Solutions in the U.S. and Canada.” Of all the plastics used in brand packaging, film and flexible packaging are the most difficult to recycle, with the former recycled only through store drop-off (in the U.S.), and the latter unable to be recycled at all, unless redesigned as mono-material. 

Presenting at the “Film and Flexible Volumes” session were Kate Eagles, program director for The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), and Charles David Mathieu-Poulin, lead, Governmental and External Relations, Éco Entrerprises Québec (EEQ), who shared their respective organizations’ efforts to find solutions to the film/flexible packaging recycling issue.


   Read this related article from the Plastics Recycling Conference, “Plastics Industry Association Educates Consumers, Policymakers on Recycling”


In both the U.S. and Canada, EPR legislation is driving the need for a significant increase in collection of these materials, as well as increased use of PCR in new film and flexible packaging. For example, under Canada’s EPR regulations, dictated by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Canada’s version of the EPR, 40% of film and flexible packaging must be recycled in Quebec by 2027, and 25% in Ontario by 2026. “We estimate that the recycling rate is currently at 4%, so we have three years to get from 4% to 40% and 25%,” said Mathieu-Poulin.

Other drivers include ambitious voluntary commitments by brands made through the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the U.S. and Canada Plastic Pacts, as well as consumer preferences for more recyclable packaging.

APR’s primary mission is to increase plastics recycling. In her presentation, Eagles shared results on a new study conducted by APR and Eunomia Research and Consulting on the potential for advanced recycling to increase recycling of residential film and flexible packaging (abbreviated as FFP by APR). Mathieu-Poulin’s talk was an overview of Canada’s PRFLEX initiative, aimed at improving the recovery and recycling rates of flexible plastic packaging (referred to as FPP by PRFLEX) from households.

Advanced recycling’s potential for film and flexible packaging recycling

APR typically looks at mechanical recycling solutions. But in 2021, it established a Chemical Recycling Research Working Group focused on identifying the key steps needed for chemical recycling processes, in particular, pyrolysis, to play an effective role in the recycling of plastic products.

Said Eagles, who is a member of the working group, “We are supportive of chemical recycling technologies that complement mechanical recycling by converting post-consumer plastics back into recycled resins or resin precursors for new plastics products.”

The working group’s recently released report, “How to Scale the Recycling of Flexible Film Packaging: Modeling Pyrolysis’ Role in Collection, Quantity and Costs of a Comprehensive Solution,” looks at the consumer-facing side of FFP and where those synergies might be between pyrolysis and the recovery of post-consumer film and flexible packaging.

Plastics recycling

Said Eagles, the report focused on household FFP, as it’s the main target of state and federal policy, and because of the complexity of the mixed material streams involved. It focused on pyrolysis because the technology is scaling relatively quickly and, according to Eunomia, has the potential to process an FFP stream that consists of 85% plus polyolefin waste.

In discussing the report’s results, Eagles emphasized that they are based on assumptions—around better packaging design, more policy, more voluntary activity, and improved sortation by 2030. “I want to be clear that this is not a primer for how to do it, it’s just sort of a ‘what if,’” she said.

Where we are now; where we could be in 2030

Looking at current estimated material flows, Eagles shared that there are about 12 million tons of FFP currently available in the U.S. market. Approximately 124,000 tons of that is residential PE film, 90% of which is recovered through store drop-off. Three million tons, made up of materials such as trash bags, are not currently being targeted for recovery. That leaves 9 million tons. Commercial FFP makes up 3.7 million tons, which is not included in the report. The resulting 5.3 million tons are residential film, comprising mixed polyolefins, mono-PE, or mono-PP, that can be recovered through pyrolysis (3 million tons) or mechanical recycling (2.3 million tons).

New e-book on Multipacking and Case Packing
Read how to extend the life of your case packing equipment and best practices for efficient shrink bundling operation. Plus, learn the differences between wraparound & regular slotted containers.
Read More
New e-book on Multipacking and Case Packing