Page 25 - Plastics News November 2022

Eco Flexibles’ Monomaterial Packaging LCA Starlinger Unveils New
Confirms Sustainable Benefits PET Recycling Line

tarlinger unveiled its newest re-
Scycling line, the Recostar PET
Art, at the K Show in Dusseldorf.
The line puts together advances in
efficiency, automation, and uptime
co Flexibles, a sustainable flexible review found that at each stage of the in a complete flake-to-pellet PET
Epackaging company based in the product’s lifecycle, EcoFlow provided bottle recycling line.
UK, shared information from detailed improvements ranging from 28% to The Recostar PET Art recycling
lifecycle assessment (LCA) conducted 57%. line from Starlinger.
by packaging sustainability specialist “We’re proud to work with the
Ecoveritas. talented team at Ecoveritas and share The PET Art features a new com-
bined dryer unit that replaces the
The audit found that its monopolymer more data surrounding our innovative separate drying stages of the previ-
film solution, EcoFlow, has an packaging range,” says Simon Buswell, ous Recostar. The extruder is also a
environmental footprint 35% lower director at Eco Flexibles. “Ecoveritas
than standard mixed plastic and paper is a business that mirrors our own new design, with a length/diameter
ratio of 24, down from 40. Degas-
equivalents when used in typical in a lot of ways. It has a strong
flexible packaging applications. commitment to improving the long- sing is achieved by manipulating
process parameters, eliminating
The analysis measured key metrics term sustainable future of packaging, the need for a specific degassing
through the full lifetime of packaging, as well as a desire to make the station. A melt pump was added
including raw materials, packaging, often-complex arena of sustainable between the extruder and pelletiz-
material and substrate transportation, packaging simpler.” er. After crystallization and solid-
assembly, distribution, and disposal. The Ecoveritas assessment, which is state polycondensation, material
Using a customer’s sausage packaging valuable deep dive into sustainability moves through an energy recovery
for the project, Eco Flexibles that any brands or retailers can do for station that harnesses the heat of
redesigned the pack to utilize their packaging lines, highlights the the warm pellets.
EcoFlow, which offers brands a more key strengths of the packaging. The
sustainable lightweight monopolymer largest CO2e advantage was seen The changes result in a 25% re-
alternative to traditional flexible in raw material use, principally due duction in energy use relative to
packaging substrates. The result found to the pack’s lower overall weight the previous model, while increas-
EcoFlow to be significantly more compared with the previous film used ing capacity from 1.8 to 2.1 ton/hr.
eco-friendly in terms of the carbon and less losses in manufacturing. Starlinger also reported that the
footprint, than typical paper, PET, and “The message for brands is extremely machine requires 46% less main-
polyethylene (PE) structures. Tracking clear,” adds Buswell. “Our unique tenance time thanks in part to its
the environmental footprint through perspective on packaging sustainability dry vacuum pumps and open-loop
a measurement of carbon dioxide isn’t just lip service. desiccant air flow.
equivalents (CO2e) per pack, the

November 2022 PLASTICS NEWS 25