Technological watch
Popular European Iced Coffee Brand Switches to Chemically Recycled Plastic Cups
Emmi, the largest milk processor in Switzerland, has switched to 30% chemically recycled polypropylene (PP) packaging for its popular Caffè Latte ready-to-drink iced coffee brand. Austria-based Greiner Packaging injection molds the cups using chemically recycled PP from Borealis, which is also headquartered in Austria.
The brand owner expects to use at least 100 tonnes of plastic based on the recycled material for Caffè Latte packaging every year, starting in September 2021. The chemically recycled PP is food-safe, offering purity comparable to virgin, petrochemical-based PP.
“It takes joint efforts by food and packaging manufacturers to reduce waste and make measurable progress in the circular economy,” said Bendicht Zaugg, who is responsible for sustainable packaging at Emmi, in a prepared statement.
Chemical recycling converts plastic waste into raw materials that can be used to create new plastic packaging and other products. Thus, Emmi’s packaging application is diverting plastic waste from landfills and incinerators. The company plans to increase the percentage of chemically recycled PP in Caffè Latte packaging going forward, depending on the material’s availability.
“Borealis looks forward to a world without plastic waste,” said Trevor Davis, Head of Marketing, Consumer Products, at Borealis. “The chemically recycled polypropylene used in this new Emmi Caffè Latte cup is manufactured with Borealis Borcycle C … [chemically recycled PP], giving polyolefin-based, post-consumer waste another life. It offers all-around benefits, enabling the transition to a circular polyolefin industry whilst creating virgin-quality plastic products.”
The chemically recycled PP in Emmi’s iced coffee cups is International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC)–certified and, thus, is tracked using the mass balance approach.
The brand owner expects to use at least 100 tonnes of plastic based on the recycled material for Caffè Latte packaging every year, starting in September 2021. The chemically recycled PP is food-safe, offering purity comparable to virgin, petrochemical-based PP.
“It takes joint efforts by food and packaging manufacturers to reduce waste and make measurable progress in the circular economy,” said Bendicht Zaugg, who is responsible for sustainable packaging at Emmi, in a prepared statement.
Chemical recycling converts plastic waste into raw materials that can be used to create new plastic packaging and other products. Thus, Emmi’s packaging application is diverting plastic waste from landfills and incinerators. The company plans to increase the percentage of chemically recycled PP in Caffè Latte packaging going forward, depending on the material’s availability.
“Borealis looks forward to a world without plastic waste,” said Trevor Davis, Head of Marketing, Consumer Products, at Borealis. “The chemically recycled polypropylene used in this new Emmi Caffè Latte cup is manufactured with Borealis Borcycle C … [chemically recycled PP], giving polyolefin-based, post-consumer waste another life. It offers all-around benefits, enabling the transition to a circular polyolefin industry whilst creating virgin-quality plastic products.”
The chemically recycled PP in Emmi’s iced coffee cups is International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC)–certified and, thus, is tracked using the mass balance approach.
This project has been co-funded with the support of the LIFE financial instrument of the European Union [LIFE17 ENV/ES/000438] Life programme
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