Amcor has become a participant in a three-year Danish initiative aimed at establishing a comprehensive circular recycling system for household food packaging made from plastics.

Source: Packaging Gateway

Led by the Danish Technological Institute and co-funded under the name Circular Recycling Innovation for Sustainable Packaging (CRISP), the project focuses on rigid food packaging made from polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).

CRISP unites packaging manufacturers, food producers, and waste management operators to develop processes capable of producing food-grade recycled plastics from post-consumer waste streams.

• Amcor will contribute recycling and technical expertise through its CleanStream facility in Leamington Spa, UK, while leveraging capabilities from its packaging production plant in Randers, Denmark.
• The company aims to utilize its experience in designing and manufacturing food packaging that incorporates recycled content as part of this collaboration.

This partnership is designed to foster the development of a circular plastics model in Denmark, aligning with the European Union's goal of achieving a 55% plastics recycling rate by 2030. It also supports the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which mandates that most plastic packaging must be recyclable by that same date.

A central focus of this initiative is the traceability of food-contact materials throughout the recycling cycle. Additionally, it aligns with Denmark’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework, which requires producers to bear the cost of packaging placed on the market and promotes the use of more sustainable materials and designs.

We are delighted to bring together this highly knowledgeable and innovative consortium. This three-year project has the potential to provide a clear pathway towards the circular recycling of PE and PP food packaging.

^{Danish Technological Institute business manager Per Sigaard Christensen}

Amcor’s CleanStream technology is designed to mechanically recycle mixed household plastic waste into “high-purity” recyclate, functioning within current waste collection and sorting infrastructures. The Leamington Spa plant has the capacity to recycle nearly 40% of the polypropylene waste collected from UK household recycling bins.