Brückner Maschinenbau Tests PU-based Printing Inks for Improved Recycling

When it comes to recycling packaging, it is mostly the plastics used that are considered. However, a large proportion of the plastic films used for this purpose are printed and, with the printing ink, contain a further ingredient that has a decisive influence on recyclability. The recyclate quality from printed film waste is particularly often low, since the color, odor and processability are only sufficient for simple applications. The black trash bag is then often the second and at the same time last cycle of many plastics.

R-Cycle member Brückner Maschinenbau is therefore researching design optimizations for printed films together with other partners as part of the Print CYC project. The latest finding: a PU (polyurethane)-based ink system significantly increases recyclability. The test showed that the alternative ink formulation leads to a significant improvement in the mechanical recycling process on a production line typically used for reprocessing printed film waste materials in practice. Due to the high temperature resistance of the inks (> 240 °C), neither volatile by-products, nor odor or gels were observed. Under these conditions, high-quality recyclates with color-stable properties could be produced. An initial assessment of the environmental impact also revealed lower greenhouse gas emissions and lower energy consumption in the mechanical recycling of the films compared with the production of virgin material.

Against this backdrop, it is clear that not only information about the actual plastic, but about all of its ingredients is important for recycling plastic packaging. R-Cycle transports this information through the entire value chain – from the producer to the processor of plastic waste. In this way, products recorded and marked with R-Cycle can be reliably identified and recycled to a high standard.

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MULTIVAC – the World’s Leading Manufacturer of Integrated Packaging Solutions – Becomes an R-Cycle Partner.

MULTIVAC joins the cross-company initiative R-Cycle. The aim is to jointly drive forward the circular economy for plastic packaging on the basis of an open and globally applicable tracing standard. R-Cycle records all recycling-relevant information from the production process in the form of a digital product passport and makes it available for recycling. To retrieve the stored information, a machine-readable mark – for example, a QR or digital watermark code – is applied to the packaging. In this way, waste sorting systems can use market proven detection technologies to identify fully recyclable packaging and form pure fractions within the recycling process. Precise sorting and transparency regarding the exact composition (types of plastic, printing inks, adhesives, additives, etc.) are key to obtaining high-quality recyclate for high-value recycling.

Stefan Scheibel, Vice President Corporate Training & Innovation Center of the MULTIVAC Group, explains: “In our Innovation Center we are always analyzing the latest trends and advising our customers on the market requirements of tomorrow. Digitization along the value chain has enormous potential in this respect for bringing sustainable packaging into a high-quality recycling process. We think of sustainability holistically. Packaging must effectively protect goods – especially food – in order to conserve resources; at the same time, the packaging itself must be designed sustainably and effective recycling processes must be ensured. In this context, exchange with partners from all involved industrial sectors is essential.”

Dr. Benedikt Brenken, Director of the R-Cycle Initiative, adds: “With MULTIVAC, we are gaining another important partner and global player in the value cycle. Not only the material of a package, but also its contents represent important recycling-relevant information, which we capture with R-Cycle. We look forward to working together and generating new momentum in the development and implementation of the R-Cycle standard.”

“Sustainability is an integral part of our corporate strategy,” explains Guido Spix, Group President of MULTIVAC. “We are pleased that by joining the R-Cycle initiative we can support shape an industry standard and thus make a positive contribution to promoting the circular economy for plastic packaging. The exchange with upstream and downstream processes in the value chain helps us to understand the individual steps even better and to co-develop sustainable solutions.”

In addition to manufacturing packaging machines, MULTIVAC also supplies solutions for processing and cutting, marking and labeling, and also quality inspection and handling of products. The portfolio is supplemented by digital products, such as MULTIVAC Smart Services, which help to increase machine availability and thus efficiency. A digital product passport of plastic packaging can also provide valuable information for this, in order to make the packaging process more efficient, faster and therefore more sustainable.

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