Colloquia

Samenvatting

Consumers face many packages per day. The flexible packaging type is broadly used by consumers. Flexible packaging can reach high performance rate at low weight, leading to less CO2 emissions than other packaging types. However, its recyclability is detrimental, due to its size and composition as multi-layer. Currently, there is limited to no market for the low quality waste stream, leading to incineration. This is unfavourable since valuable materials will be lost.
This research investigates the European waste management of the flexible consumer packaging of Royal FrieslandCampina (RFC), one of the largest dairy companies worldwide. The study is divided into two parts; first, the current situation of waste management is analysed and second, a toolkit is established to keep track of the recyclability of the flexible packaging, underpinned with a case study.

The first part clarified the importance of the research, of choosing flexible packaging over other products. To define the existing problem in the recycling of flexible packaging, the current situation of waste management is investigated in two ways. Theoretically by investigating the organisations committed to the waste management, and practically by looking deeper into the situation in specific European countries. This research indicated that although some flexible packaging can be recycled theoretically, the packaging is not recycled in practice. This is among others, caused by insufficient technologies to further reprocess this stream. Furthermore, this analysis shows the complexity of the waste management of flexible packaging and that, among other things, is not to solve by one party.

The second part of this research translated these findings into a toolkit, a portfolio including a recyclability assessment and a redesign guideline. The portfolio includes all flexible packaging of RFC. For each packaging, the recyclability is determined by the insights of the first part. Thereby, the toolkit includes a redesign guideline, to guide the team to use one material over another material. This is underpinned by a case study, for which a not-recyclable flexible packaging is investigated. This led to a proposed redesign of a design for recycling bag in box.

This research addressed the aspects influencing the recyclability of flexibles. It can be concluded that the waste management of flexible packaging is a complex process in which multi-material packaging are detrimental for recycling today. RFC takes its role to redesign the current packaging into recyclable packaging, however, the recycling rate can only increase if all stakeholders in the waste management are committed and recycle in practice.