A surge in collaboration has boosted support for circular economy solutions for flexible packaging, according to CEFLEX.
CEFLEX is an initiative set up to increase the collection and recycling of flexible packaging formats below A4 in size. Since being officially launched at Interpack last year, the number of participating stakeholders has risen by 56% to 53 organisations.
CEFLEX aims to advance better system design solutions, with the goal of making flexible packaging more relevant to the circular economy. Project coordinator Graham Houlder explained, “Thanks to the significant number and broad base of stakeholders, plus strong collaboration, progress is being made in all workstreams. The newly released Plastics Strategy further underlines the relevance of the work CEFLEX is doing.”
Thomas Greigeritsch of flexible packaging converter Constantia Flexibles added, “Flexible packaging is highly material efficient, only generating a limited amount of waste at its end of life but, if the waste is not collected it cannot be sorted and recycled. There is a clear need to increase collection initiatives and to raise awareness that a large fraction of this post-consumer waste stream is ready for recycling today. In a circular economy, we cannot simply send that valuable material to landfill or energy recovery instead of recycling it.”
CEFLEX stakeholders are working to identify best solutions to increase the recycling of flexible packaging. Michael Heyde of DSD (Germany) said, “Projects are being planned to help us identify the most promising technical developments to effectively and economically sort and recycle post-consumer flexible packaging. We will then validate these through a robust programme of trials and pilots. The aim is to find and implement practical and scalable solutions more quickly.”
