Rethinking recycling
This kind of holistic approach to materials can be transformational. Everyone working with paper and moulded fiber, knows that these materials are widely recycled, which is not the case for many substrates. While any material can be recycled in theory, economics and the realities of the available infrastructure mean that many are simply sent to landfill or incinerated.
Paper, by contrast, is the most recycled material in Europe, with almost 80% of paper and paper-based packaging being successfully recovered through the recycling stream1. This comes with some caveats. The first is the questions surrounding the remaining 20% that is not recycled. There are several reasons why paper may not be recycled, the first being that paper fibers gradually degrade each time they go through the recycling process, getting shorter and weaker every time. Another is that, like any material, paper can become contaminated by other substances, which can render entire batches of potentially recyclable material unusable.
Sustainability is not a goal; it’s a constantly evolving process. Paper’s recovery rate is good, but it could be better. And with recycling infrastructure already stretched around the world, there is value in developing solutions that can be recycled more efficiently.
Expanding the recycling revolution
Progress has been made toward mitigating some of these challenges in recent years.
Researchers have found that waste paper fibers can be recycled upwards of 25 times, while still retaining enough strength to be suitable for use in high-quality materials2– significantly more than the seven-cycle limit that was previously suggested.
Companies have been involved in overcoming challenges around material contamination. One of the innovations is James Cropper’s “CupCycling” technology. Paper cups have traditionally been difficult to recycle due to their use of barrier coatings or liners making them suitable for use with liquids. As around 2.5 billion disposable paper cups are used each year in the UK alone3, innovations like “CupCycling” have the potential to significantly shift the conversation around paper product recyclability.
This process converts 95% of cup waste into high-quality paper material, with the remaining 5% of plastic being used for energy recovery in the production of recycled paper. Cups are collected from customers and supply chain partners for sorting and baling. The plastic lining is stripped from the fiber and reprocessed separately, eliminating any chance of contamination in the recycling process. These fibers are then made into new paper or moulded fiber, and the cycle begins again. In the past year, 58 million coffee cups could be diverted from landfill with this process, transforming them into 696 tonnes of cup fiber – enough to produce approximately 1,744,360 perfume boxes for top brands.
Daring to ask ‘what if?’
But why stop there? Two words that define the packaging industry are ‘what if’. What if we applied this approach to all sources of fiber? What if we didn’t write off traditionally challenging sources of fiber, but instead pushed ourselves to overcome the challenges they present? What if we didn’t stop at paper cups, but expanded our supply chain to incorporate office waste, industrial off-cuts, or clothing?
The “FiberBlend Upcycled Technology” is proof that these questions have realistic answers. This process takes fibers from a range of sources, including paper cups, offices, clothing, mills, production off-cuts and virgin fibers, and uses them to produce a range of premium paper materials. And, once these materials have done their job, they can go back into the recycling stream to begin their journey again. Recycled, recyclable, and renewable – the three pillars of a quiet revolution in recycling.
Life in living color
This is only half of the packaging equation, however. Material innovation is one thing, but today’s consumers demand material excellence.
Developing the kind of functionality and aesthetic appeal that today’s market often requires testing the limits of recycled materials to ensure the finished product reflects a brand’s identity as well as its sustainability goals. Traditionally, this has proven to be a barrier for the industry due to challenges with factors like color matching.
Color is central to any brand’s identity. Each human eye has over 120 million photoreceptors, making us highly perceptive when it comes to minute differences in color. Any pack that strays outside of tight production tolerances will result in a distinct ‘off-brand’ feel, damaging the precious identity that some brands spend decades constructing. The natural variation in different recycled fibers means they can react differently to dyes and pigments. Without a meticulous approach to color management, this can result in the finished product taking on an uneven appearance. Overcoming this problem requires a mastery of the ways dyes and pigments interact with different materials, while also combining expertise with cutting-edge technology to ensure the final product delivers the kind of aesthetic and tactile results that a brand requires. Then, it can be used equally effectively in luxury packaging for heritage spirit brands, as it can in everyday packaging applications like egg cartons and produce punnets, retail bags, corrugate boxes, or accessories like label tags, and more.
References
1 https://www.paperforrecycling.eu/press-release-european-recycling-rate-increased-to-72-in-2019-2-2/
2 https://www.procarton.com/recyclability-of-cartonboard-and-cartons-25-loops-study/
3 https://nationwidewasteservices.co.uk/the-environmental-impact-of-disposable-coffee-cups-in-the-uk/
Rob Tilsley
Fiber Specialist, James Cropper, Kendal, UK, www.jamescropper.com