Page 25 - Plastics News April 2017

FEATURES

and the specification of the label substrate could have
resulted in much better recyclability scores.”The study
also examined lightweighting as a possibly detrimental
move for recyclability. Lightweighting through material
reduction is nearing its technical limits, the study said,
but designers are now using new technology to reduce
packaging weight even further. It was unclear from the
study exactly what those technologies entail.
All label samples caused color and clarity change in
the wash process, with label ink bleeding being most
common. Soluble inks and glues, as well as label
substrate compatibility with PET recycling, could improve
recyclability, the paper states. “Bottlers must look beyond
the bottle itself and include components such as labels,
inks and closures to truly understand their impact on the
waste stream,” the paper states
“While weight reduction results in a lower carbon
footprint, it was found that ultra-lightweight bottles can
negatively impact the effectiveness of post-consumer
packaging waste sorting and recycling systems,” the study
concluded.

In terms of solutions, Amazonas said the ideal PET bottle
from a recyclability perspective would be clear with no
colorants and none of the chemical additives that are
sometimes used to create a barrier between the plastic
and the liquid in bottles of milk or juice.
On a moral level, he noted the efforts of regulatory
agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
in promoting sustainable materials management, and said
that brands will seek to capture the market of conscious
consumers who expect recyclability to be a key component
of a company’s mission.
“The heaviest volumes of bottle-to-bottle use is here,
so we have all the good reasons to thank the market
leaders like the guys we tested and we keep pushing,”
he said. “They are not doing anything horrible, but if we
don’t talk about it they will probably go with the most
economic solution.”

Yet despite his deep knowledge of the industry, Amazonas
said that the most important logistical piece of the
recycling process is the simple act of the consumer
throwing the bottle into the collection bin.
“If there’s no collection, there’s no recycling — so what’s
the point?”

25 April 2017 | Plastics News