Design for recycling
Part of the solution for increasing recycling rates is to design plastic products to be recyclable in the first place.
All of the polymers made by INEOS Olefins and Polymers are recyclable. However many of today’s multi-material products combine polymers from different chemical families, making them difficult to recycle.
This explains the INEOS drive towards simpler finished products made from one product family. These ‘mono-material' products can be more easily recycled. We call this our ‘Design for Recycling’ initiative or D4R. Within this program, we are working with value chain partners to re-design products that enable a transition from difficult to recycle multi-material products to simpler mono-material products that can be widely recycled.
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INEOS becomes world’s first polymer producer to commission state-of-the-art technology for developing recyclable flexible films
INEOS Olefins & Polymers Europe has become the first polymer producer in the world to successfully commission a new pilot line for co-developing recyclable flexible packaging films with customers. It enables customers to carry out full-scale tests without losing production capacity on their own lines and could help prevent one million tonnes of waste going to landfill each year.
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INEOS world first with recyclable flexible packaging film made from more than 50% recycled plastic waste
In May 2023, INEOS announced a world first, producing ultra-thin, rigid film used for recyclable flexible packaging products made from more than 50% recycled plastic. It is the first time such a high proportion of recycled waste plastic has been used in packaging products. INEOS’ polymer know-how and Hosakawa Alpine’s state of the art Machine-Direction Orientation (MDO) technology have come together to process Recycl-IN resins containing more than 50% recycled plastic to make polyethylene film. This new film will be used to manufacture recyclable single polymer flexible packaging products that replace difficult-to-recycle multimaterial packaging products.
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Other D4R action
INEOS O&P Europe continues to accelerate D4R as one of the most effective ways to increase recycling rates. Other actions include:
- Joining the Digital Watermarks Initiative HolyGrail 2.0 to significantly improve the sorting and recycling of plastic packaging waste, using ground-breaking technology that covers the surface of packaging in imperceptible watermarks
- Expanding our polymer pilot plant facility in Rosignano, Italy, to develop virgin, bio-attributed and advanced recycled polyethylene and polypropylene grades that are tailor-made for specific, more recyclable products
- Expanding production capability of our Recycl-IN grades, to incorporate higher percentages of recycled plastic waste into flexible and rigid packaging, proving that recycled material can be upcycled back into technically demanding applications