SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): The fifth session of negotiations (INC-5) for a global treaty on plastic pollution at COP29 in Busan has still to undergo further refinement, with the goal of a formal adoption in 2025. Whilst the outcomes are open to interpretation, depending on which country you ask, the agreed framework is based on addressing the entire life-cycle of plastics, focusing on reducing production, improving recycling rates, and managing waste effectively.
The Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty stated: “We are encouraged by the increased alignment amongst over 100 countries on critical elements such as global phase-outs and sustainable levels of plastic production. Never before have so many countries clearly articulated support for these obligations.“
Certainly transitioning towards plastics’ circularity and reducing plastics pollution requires disrupting the status quo but the latest text from the INC Chair is a step forward on product design and waste management as a basis for future negotiations, and we now have advanced technologies to effectively close the loop on plastics, so reducing our reliance on virgin plastics and meeting higher recycling targets are both much more achievable than they were even 5 years ago.
One project that is at the heart of some of the most pivotal changes to address this is NEXTLOOPP, launched in Europe in 2020 with the mission to close the loop on one of the most prolific yet least recycled polymers’, Polypropylene (PP).
Following four years of intensive R&D in Europe, NEXTLOOPP has responded to numerous requests to launch a parallel program in the Americas.As NEXTLOOPP’s founder and President, Professor Kosior, points out, the statistics speak for themselves. 1 million tons of post-consumer PP currently ends up in landfills annually. Of the 8 million tons of PP produced in the U.S. each year, only 8% is recycled. This represents a major resource loss, not to mention a missed opportunity for recyclers and brands to transform this material into valuable food-grade rPP for the circular economy. PP, which is used in food-contact packaging, constitutes an estimated 70% of the PP stream.
To address this crucial element of the plastics circularity hurdle NEXTLOOPP Americas is mobilizing U.S.-based organizations to participate in closing the significant gap between PP production and its food-grade recycling.The collaborative project, which plans to hold its first official participant meeting in February 2025, offers participants cost-effective benefits and a structure that avoids anti-trust concerns, reduces administrative and resource burdens, and delivers timely, cost-effective and cutting-edge results with significant carbon savings potential.
The clear goal is to deliver the required boost to the industry which appears to be stalled – despite the U.S. FDA issuing 21 No Objection Letters (NOLs) since early 2023 – food-grade rPP is still not being used in food-contact packaging.
Addressing this disconnect is a primary focus of the program. NEXTLOOPP Americas aims to establish supply chains and recycling facilities capable of producing food-grade PP under license, ultimately putting FGrPP into widespread use for food-contact applications.
The program involves 12 clearly defined steps to engage the entire PP packaging supply chain (food and non-food). These steps begin with auditing PP waste streams in target regions of the Americas to characterize feedstock both physically and chemically, and extend to preparing submissions to the FDA for novel recycling processes, licensing advanced mechanical recycling technologies, and disseminating results to demonstrate the recyclability and value of post-consumer food-grade PP.
NEXTLOOPP Americas will deploy a range of advanced technologies to achieve this, including AI-driven sorting, intensive cleaning, purification, enhanced washing, and high-performance decontamination.AI-driven sorting, for instance, will enable precise separation of food-grade PP packaging, ensuring the high levels of purity required for food-grade recycled materials.
Recycling post-consumer PP to food-grade compliance standards is a technically demanding but achievable process. The challenge now is investment in sustainable, low-carbon packaging and recycling systems. Addressing the recyclability of all plastics – particularly food-grade recycled PP – offers the best business case for expanding infrastructure and local recycling capacity.
An additional innovative aspect of the NEXTLOOPP process is its development of high-performance grades from non-food fractions of post-consumer rPP. Known as PPristine INRT grades, these materials feature clean compositions and low VOC levels, making them ideal for sensitive cosmetic applications and low VOC automotive interior components.
By tailoring NEXTLOOPP Americas to local conditions, regulations, and resources, the program aims to become a partner of choice for organizations striving to manage plastic waste, and expects strong momentum from U.S. businesses. The pressing need to demonstrate the recyclability of post-consumer food-grade rPP could lead to even greater success than in Europe.
Following the discussions in Busan, it is evident that models like NEXTLOOPP are set to become game-changers, driving sustainable growth in the plastics economy.
Courtesy: www.wasteadvantagemag.com
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