Source title: “Green whirlwind” in food packaging, rPE project group seminar held Mars Wrigley and other companies to explore greener packaging materials
The adoption of green packaging and the reduction of plastic pollution are driving the “green whirlwind” of food packaging. Leading companies in the industry, such as Mars Wrigley, are aiming to explore the same level of high-value applications of recycled materials in food contact materials. The rPE project team seminar hosted by the Joint Working Group on Sustainable Development of Food Contact Materials (SFCM) of Shanghai Junshi Life Science Research Institute was recently held in Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province.
At the meeting, researcher Zhong Huaining and Dr. Su Qizhi, director of IQTC National Key Laboratory of Food Contact Materials Testing (Guangdong), Du Huanzheng, director of the Institute of Ecological Civilization and Circular Economy of Tongji University, Lin Qinbao, researcher of Jinan University Packaging Engineering Research Institute, Mars Wrigley R&D Department Li Weili, Senior Manager of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, and representatives from Seville, Southern Packaging, LyondellBasell and other companies shared their research and experience on how to promote the high-value application of rPE.
Zhong Huaining, Director of IQTC National Key Laboratory of Food Contact Materials Testing (Guangdong)
rPE can help drastically reduce plastic pollution
The theme of the 50th World Environment Day on June 5 this year is “Solutions to Plastic Pollution”. Statistics show that the world produces more than 400 million tons of plastic every year, of which 1/3 is only used once; it is equivalent to 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic dumping plastic into rivers, lakes and seas every day. And this also includes plastic food contact materials.
Polyethylene (PE) is one of the three major food contact plastic packaging materials. Polyethylene (PE) is widely used in food packaging fields such as milk boxes and beverage cups. At present, the disposal of waste PE food contact materials is mainly based on landfill and incineration, which brings problems such as waste of resources and environmental pollution. In addition, the recycling rate of post-consumer PE food contact materials is still not high, and it is still dominated by single downgrading rather than multiple recycling. The recycling value of most PE plastic products will be reduced correspondingly after downcycling, and high-value utilization and recycling cannot be realized.
“rPE is a recycled polyethylene (PE) material.” Zhong Huaining said, “Exploring the high-value application of PE recycled materials is of great importance to solve the problem of plastic food contact material waste pollution and promote the green and sustainable development of the food contact material industry. significance.”
On the one hand, the recycling of post-consumer plastic food contact materials can reduce the dependence on virgin plastics produced by petroleum, reduce the consumption of natural resources, and bring economic benefits of saving resources; on the other hand, the recycling of post-consumer plastic food contact materials Utilization can greatly reduce the amount of plastic waste generated, and reduce the pressure and negative impact of plastic waste on the ecological environment.
In addition, compared with the traditional plastic preparation process, the recycling process of post-consumer plastic food contact materials shortens the production and processing chain of plastic products, which can effectively reduce energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. According to statistics, at present, my country recycles nearly 19 million tons of various types of plastics every year. While providing high-quality industrial raw materials, it can reduce about 45% of sewage discharge and 60%-70% of energy consumption compared with the use of raw resources. .
“However, compared with recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET), the industry has not done much research and application of recycled polyethylene (rPE) in the field of food contact materials, especially for its safety, environmental protection and pollution. The lack of reduction technology research has become a major factor restricting the development of food-grade rPE.” Zhong Huaining said, “Under the appeal and promotion of the industry, the food contact materials sustainable development working group will set up a rPE project team in 2022.”
Transparent bowl lid made of rPET
Strict control and management throughout the whole cycle, rPE can also ensure safety
Many consumers may not have noticed that since February this year, Mars Wrigley’s crispy rice 216g bowl of chocolate product packaging has used 100% rPET to make a transparent bowl cover. This is the first time that Mars Wrigley China has explored the application of recycled plastics (Recycled) in non-food contact packaging. Mars Wrigley plans to extend the application to more of its chocolate product packaging, with the goal of reducing the use of virgin plastic by 300 tons per year.
In fact, Mars Wrigley has continued to promote sustainable packaging upgrade iterations since 2019. Through packaging weight reduction (Reduce), it has successfully reduced the use of more than 1,000 tons of virgin plastic, and actively explored the application of degradable materials (Replace). In 2022, M Dou launched the first degradable composite paper packaging in China.
“In fact, rPE is highly accepted in developed countries with advanced environmental protection awareness such as the European Union, and has been widely used.” Du Huanzheng said. At present, many food packaging companies in China produce rPE products, but most of them are exported to Europe and the United States.
The safety issue that consumers are most concerned about is also the most important link in the industry. “Compared with the use of PE raw materials to produce plastic products, rPE adds cleaning, crushing and melting at 120 degrees Celsius before the relevant process. On the one hand, it can volatilize the pollutants that may exist in PE for disinfection. On the other hand On the one hand, it is ready for the next stage of production.” Du Huanzheng said.
“Post-consumer PE food contact materials may be contaminated during the recycling process. Therefore, how to ensure their safety as food contact materials is everyone’s concern.” Zhong Huaining pointed out, “The control of its safety needs to be based on the whole life cycle. Consider the angle.”
First of all, it is necessary to establish a standardized recycling system to ensure the authenticity and quality stability of recycled PE; in the cleaning and regeneration process, it is necessary to do a good job in reducing pollutants, so as to effectively remove the residual pollutants in rPE; in the process of product production, it is necessary to In accordance with the requirements of food contact material safety standards, such as GB 4806.7 Plastic Standard, GB9685 Additive Standard and GB 31603 Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standard, do a good job in the production of food contact materials to ensure that the production meets the requirements of food contact material safety standards The product.
Group photo of delegates
Mars Wrigley leads the sustainable upgrade of food packaging materials
“The sustainable development of domestic food contact materials has just started, and problems such as imperfect supply chains, lagging regulations, low consumer acceptance, and high costs still exist. Strengthening the safety assessment and application of food-grade recycled plastics requires experts, production and Food companies that use packaging materials join hands to pool resources and strengths from all parties to promote it.” Zhong Huaining, chairman of the Food Contact Materials Sustainable Development Working Group, said that Mars Wrigley can launch such an rPE seminar today, which is very important for promoting China’s development of food packaging materials. Sustainable development is very important.
“Brand enterprises are in an extremely important position in the value chain of food contact materials. They are not only the end users of materials, but also the most direct-to-consumer enterprises. Therefore, it is not only a practical need, but also a fulfillment for brand enterprises to actively participate in it. Its social responsibility is an important work.” Zhong Huaining highly appreciated Mars Wrigley’s pioneering approach in exploring rPE, a new low-carbon and environmentally friendly field: “Mars Wrigley, as a global enterprise with a sense of mission, actively promotes the food-grade recycling of rPE. The sustainable development of China’s food contact materials is of great significance. We hope that such industry pioneers can continue to play their leading role, give full play to their brand influence, technical capabilities and resource integration capabilities, and lead the industry chain to participate and make breakthroughs Difficulties, to promote the sustainable development of China’s food packaging materials.”
Zhong Huaining said that in the future, the working group will jointly carry out scientific research and technical research in important fields such as recycled material identification, full life cycle assessment, pollutant screening, pollutant reduction, and challenging experiments, so as to contribute to China’s food-grade rPE-related policies, regulations, The formulation and implementation of standards and norms provide comprehensive, scientific and objective data and suggestions, so that the sustainable development of China’s food contact plastic materials can go a long way.
The adoption of green packaging and the reduction of plastic pollution are driving the “green whirlwind” of food packaging. Leading companies in the industry, such as Mars Wrigley, are aiming to explore the same level of high-value applications of recycled materials in food contact materials. The rPE project team seminar hosted by the Joint Working Group on Sustainable Development of Food Contact Materials (SFCM) of Shanghai Junshi Life Science Research Institute was recently held in Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province.
At the meeting, researcher Zhong Huaining and Dr. Su Qizhi, director of IQTC National Key Laboratory of Food Contact Materials Testing (Guangdong), Du Huanzheng, director of the Institute of Ecological Civilization and Circular Economy of Tongji University, Lin Qinbao, researcher of Jinan University Packaging Engineering Research Institute, Mars Wrigley R&D Department Li Weili, Senior Manager of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, and representatives from Seville, Southern Packaging, LyondellBasell and other companies shared their research and experience on how to promote the high-value application of rPE.
Zhong Huaining, Director of IQTC National Key Laboratory of Food Contact Materials Testing (Guangdong)
rPE can help drastically reduce plastic pollution
The theme of the 50th World Environment Day on June 5 this year is “Solutions to Plastic Pollution”. Statistics show that the world produces more than 400 million tons of plastic every year, of which 1/3 is only used once; it is equivalent to 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic dumping plastic into rivers, lakes and seas every day. And this also includes plastic food contact materials.
Polyethylene (PE) is one of the three major food contact plastic packaging materials. Polyethylene (PE) is widely used in food packaging fields such as milk boxes and beverage cups. At present, the disposal of waste PE food contact materials is mainly based on landfill and incineration, which brings problems such as waste of resources and environmental pollution. In addition, the recycling rate of post-consumer PE food contact materials is still not high, and it is still dominated by single downgrading rather than multiple recycling. The recycling value of most PE plastic products will be reduced correspondingly after downcycling, and high-value utilization and recycling cannot be realized.
“rPE is a recycled polyethylene (PE) material.” Zhong Huaining said, “Exploring the high-value application of PE recycled materials is of great importance to solve the problem of plastic food contact material waste pollution and promote the green and sustainable development of the food contact material industry. significance.”
On the one hand, the recycling of post-consumer plastic food contact materials can reduce the dependence on virgin plastics produced by petroleum, reduce the consumption of natural resources, and bring economic benefits of saving resources; on the other hand, the recycling of post-consumer plastic food contact materials Utilization can greatly reduce the amount of plastic waste generated, and reduce the pressure and negative impact of plastic waste on the ecological environment.
In addition, compared with the traditional plastic preparation process, the recycling process of post-consumer plastic food contact materials shortens the production and processing chain of plastic products, which can effectively reduce energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. According to statistics, at present, my country recycles nearly 19 million tons of various types of plastics every year. While providing high-quality industrial raw materials, it can reduce about 45% of sewage discharge and 60%-70% of energy consumption compared with the use of raw resources. .
“However, compared with recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET), the industry has not done much research and application of recycled polyethylene (rPE) in the field of food contact materials, especially for its safety, environmental protection and pollution. The lack of reduction technology research has become a major factor restricting the development of food-grade rPE.” Zhong Huaining said, “Under the appeal and promotion of the industry, the food contact materials sustainable development working group will set up a rPE project team in 2022.”
Transparent bowl lid made of rPET
Strict control and management throughout the whole cycle, rPE can also ensure safety
Many consumers may not have noticed that since February this year, Mars Wrigley’s crispy rice 216g bowl of chocolate product packaging has used 100% rPET to make a transparent bowl cover. This is the first time that Mars Wrigley China has explored the application of recycled plastics (Recycled) in non-food contact packaging. Mars Wrigley plans to extend the application to more of its chocolate product packaging, with the goal of reducing the use of virgin plastic by 300 tons per year.
In fact, Mars Wrigley has continued to promote sustainable packaging upgrade iterations since 2019. Through packaging weight reduction (Reduce), it has successfully reduced the use of more than 1,000 tons of virgin plastic, and actively explored the application of degradable materials (Replace). In 2022, M beans launched the first degradable composite paper packaging in China.
“In fact, rPE is highly accepted in developed countries with advanced environmental protection awareness such as the European Union, and has been widely used.” Du Huanzheng said. At present, many food packaging companies in China produce rPE products, but most of them are exported to Europe and the United States.
The safety issue that consumers are most concerned about is also the most important link in the industry. “Compared with the use of PE raw materials to produce plastic products, rPE adds cleaning, crushing and melting at 120 degrees Celsius before the relevant process. On the one hand, it can volatilize the pollutants that may exist in PE for disinfection. On the other hand On the one hand, it is ready for the next stage of production.” Du Huanzheng said.
“Post-consumer PE food contact materials may be contaminated during the recycling process. Therefore, how to ensure their safety as food contact materials is everyone’s concern.” Zhong Huaining pointed out, “The control of its safety needs to be based on the whole life cycle. Consider the angle.”
First of all, it is necessary to establish a standardized recycling system to ensure the authenticity and quality stability of recycled PE; in the cleaning and regeneration process, it is necessary to do a good job in reducing pollutants, so as to effectively remove the residual pollutants in rPE; in the process of product production, it is necessary to In accordance with the requirements of food contact material safety standards, such as GB 4806.7 Plastic Standard, GB9685 Additive Standard and GB 31603 Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standard, do a good job in the production of food contact materials to ensure that the production meets the requirements of food contact material safety standards The product.
Group photo of delegates
Mars Wrigley leads the sustainable upgrade of food packaging materials
“The sustainable development of domestic food contact materials has just started, and problems such as imperfect supply chains, lagging regulations, low consumer acceptance, and high costs still exist. Strengthening the safety assessment and application of food-grade recycled plastics requires experts, production and Food companies that use packaging materials join hands to pool resources and strengths from all parties to promote it.” Zhong Huaining, chairman of the Food Contact Materials Sustainable Development Working Group, said that Mars Wrigley can launch such an rPE seminar today, which is very important for promoting China’s development of food packaging materials. Sustainable development is very important.
“Brand enterprises are in an extremely important position in the value chain of food contact materials. They are not only the end users of materials, but also the most direct-to-consumer enterprises. Therefore, it is not only a practical need, but also a fulfillment for brand enterprises to actively participate in it. Its social responsibility is an important work.” Zhong Huaining highly appreciated Mars Wrigley’s pioneering approach in exploring rPE, a new low-carbon and environmentally friendly field: “Mars Wrigley, as a global enterprise with a sense of mission, actively promotes the food-grade recycling of rPE. The sustainable development of China’s food contact materials is of great significance. We hope that such industry pioneers can continue to play their leading role, give full play to their brand influence, technical capabilities and resource integration capabilities, and lead the industry chain to participate and make breakthroughs Difficulties, to promote the sustainable development of China’s food packaging materials.”
Zhong Huaining said that in the future, the working group will jointly carry out scientific research and technical research in important fields such as recycled material identification, full life cycle assessment, pollutant screening, pollutant reduction, and challenging experiments, so as to contribute to China’s food-grade rPE-related policies, regulations, The formulation and implementation of standards and norms provide comprehensive, scientific and objective data and suggestions, so that the sustainable development of China’s food contact plastic materials can go a long way.
Disclaimer: The purpose of reposting this article on this website is to provide readers with more information, and the content involved does not constitute investment or consumption advice. If you have any questions about the facts of the article, please check with the relevant parties. The opinions of the article are not the opinions of this website, and are for readers’ reference only.