MATERIALS AND APPLICATIONS
Mono-Material Pasta Packaging with Post-Consumer Recycled Content
Sabic , a global leader in the chemical industry , has announced the successful roll-out of another project as part of its Trucircle™ program to accelerate the implementation of a circular plastic economy . Garofalo , a major Italian pasta manufacturer , has introduced a novel packaging made by GT Polifilm and Polivouga using Sabic ’ s certified circular polypropylene ( PP ). The sustainable material is derived from advanced recycling , and converted into a Biaxially Oriented PolyPropylene ( BOPP ) film for this application , which is the first mono-PP pasta packaging material in the market containing 30 percent of post-consumer recycled ( PCR ) content . Garofalo introduced the first pasta bags made from the new packaging to Italian stores in March 2023 . The PCR content in the bags is based on post-consumer used plastics , which is turned into pyrolysis oil in an advanced recycling process . At Sabic , the pyoil is used in the production of new polymers with the same specifications as virgin plastics from conventional feedstock . Polivouga , a vertically integrated Portuguese manufacturer of flexible films for packaging products uses a Sabic ® PP 525PC grade from Sabic ’ s Trucircle portfolio of certified circular polymers to produce the basic BOPP film for the new pasta packaging solution . GT Polifilm , a specialist in the production of flexible polypropylene products for automated packaging in the food industry , adds a cast PP film to the BOPP film to create a mono-material structure , which is then converted to tailor-made pasta bags . Once used , the mono-PP bags can easily be recycled again in existing PP waste streams . Abdullah Al-Otaibi , General Manager , ETP & Market Solutions at Sabic says : “ For such solutions to work in the long-term , the partners in the material value chain must closely collaborate . With our Trucircle program , we are pushing for innovative business models to transform our industry from a linear to a circular one and help prevent the valuable material
of end-of-life plastic applications from being wasted . Within a year , this remarkable joint project has shown what can be achieved to make this vision come true if all players work together to maximize post-consumer plastic recycling and sustainability .” Sabic ’ s circular materials are produced using a mass balance accounting scheme according to the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification ( ISCC ) PLUS program , which follows a set of predefined and transparent rules for tracking the material flow across complex supply chains from the feedstock to the final application . Dr . Sergio De Gennaro , Quality Assurance Manager , Pastificio Lucio Garofalo S . p . A . states : “ At Garofalo , we are fully committed to the quality and environmental compatibility of our products . Of course , this innovative new recycled pasta packaging is just one example of our sustainable initiatives , but marks an important step forward . It shows how food manufacturers and packaging suppliers are working together to bring about much needed change . As a packaging product that is both made with recycled content and fully recyclable , it also meets with a better consumer appeal .” While flexible plastic packaging is often the more sustainable alternative , a lot of food is packaged in paper / plastic combinations or laminates which are difficult to recycle and may have a bigger carbon footprint due to higher resource consumption . As a more responsible solution , flexible mono-material with PCR content is potentially the preferred packaging route for a growing number of brand owners and retailers , while it is also supported by EU authorities and NGOs .
Garofalo , a major Italian pasta manufacturer , has introduced a novel packaging made by GT Polifilm and Polivouga using SABIC ’ s certified circular polypropylene ( PP ). The bags are the first mono-PP pasta packaging in the market containing 30 percent of post-consumer recycle from plastic waste