A more transparent future: exploring chemical and mechanical recycling

The debate surrounding the future of plastics is no longer just about waste management. It is about our ability to transform a material essential to the global economy into a truly circular resource.

The debate on the future of plastics has moved beyond waste management alone. It now focuses on our ability to transform this essential material into a truly circular resource. With this objective in mind, we organized the event "A More Transparent Future: Exploring Mechanical and Chemical Recycling" together with our key customers, to discuss the role of post-consumer recycling in packaging.

Professor Paola Fabbri from the University of Bologna presented the scientific and industrial challenges of recycling, highlighting that more than 95% of the material value of plastics is lost after a single use. The new European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) supports this transition by requiring, among other measures, a minimum of 30% post-consumer recycled PET in sensitive food-contact applications by 2030.

The event highlighted the complementary nature of mechanical and chemical recycling. Mechanical recycling preserves the polymer structure, making it an efficient and widely accessible solution. Chemical recycling, on the other hand, breaks polymers down to the molecular level, producing material equivalent to virgin plastic and suitable for repeated recycling without loss of quality.

To demonstrate these approaches, two production lines using mechanically and chemically recycled materials were presented, allowing participants to compare their performance under industrial processing conditions.

The discussions confirmed that a truly circular economy depends on collaboration across the entire value chain. This event reaffirmed our commitment to developing packaging solutions that combine innovation, quality, and sustainability.