CLOSED LOOP RECYCLING: DEFINITION FOR PACKAGING AND MATERIALS
Closed loop packaging recycling is a sustainable system that utilizes already used packaging, then processes it and remanufactures it into new packaging of the same quality and type. This creates an indefinite cycle, or circular economy.
This process is vital to packaging, even more than other categories due to the short lifecycle, high volume, and waste exposure that is experienced in this field. Key characteristics of closed-loop recycling include the following:
- Continuous Cycle: This means the material flows in a cycle. For example, a plastic package would be made into another plastic package, creating circular packaging systems.
- Material Integrity: The goal of closed-loop recycling is to maintain the value and purity of the material throughout continuous cycles, avoiding downcycling. Downcycling is when material quality diminishes over time due to the recycling process.
- Reduced Virgin Material Use: Another key characteristic of closed-loop recycling is the fact that it prevents more raw materials from being extracted from natural sources, reducing the impact on the environment.
- Efficiency: It is a more resource-efficient system that reduces energy consumption and provides sustainability.
Although some might mistakenly use the phrases recyclable and closed loop recycling program interchangeably, they are actually very different processes. With general recycling or open cycle, a product can be turned into an entirely new product. Closed-loop recycling is a circular remanufacturing process that produces the exact same product, maintains product quality, and eliminates waste.
CLOSED-LOOP VS. OPEN-LOOP RECYCLING IN PACKAGING
In contrast to closed-loop recycling, open-loop recycling involves taking a package and turning it into something else entirely. While this might seem like a positive aspect, it is detrimental in several ways. The closed-loop process keeps packaging high value and ensures continued material quality, while open-loop recycling can also be seen as downcycling. This means the quality of the packaging material is reduced.
Closed-loop plastics recycling is a process that is designed to be sustainable and to promote infinite recycling of packaging or a product. Conversely, open-loop recycling usually has a package or product broken down and made into another product entirely after being used in other product categories, which is a process that usually only happens once before said item is then discarded.
The downcycling process, which is part of the open system, delays disposal but doesn’t sustain the original packaging usage. Consequently, closed-loop systems offer more value retention, while open-loop is used more for broader end-market options and is considered an easier infrastructure due to lower purity requirements and other factors. All in all, this means that a closed-loop system has a higher impact but isn’t always feasible for every recycling purpose.
WHY CLOSED-LOOP RECYCLING IS THE GOAL OF A CIRCULAR ECONOMY
A circular economy utilizes closed-loop recycling as its gold standard. With a circular economy implementing closed-loop recycling, materials stay in productive use at their highest value for as long as possible. This means that closed-loop recycling reduces landfill dependency, stabilizes feedstock, predicts recovery, and provides clarity for various measurable elements of a business. While embracing a circular economy as a business will most certainly benefit the environment and protect excess virgin material from being extracted continuously, it can also serve as a beneficial cost stability and procurement strategy.
WHAT MAKES PACKAGING “CLOSED-LOOP READY”?
Not every type of packaging material is a good candidate for the closed-loop recycling system. Various material traits must be present for the system to work, such as a product made of a single-resin composition that is durable through recovery and can withstand being cleaned, all providing stable performance even after reprocessing.
Even the best closed-loop system can fail without clean, consistent return streams, which makes the process of recovery design vital. The following reveals the type of products or packaging that are not a good fit for closed-loop recycling and circular procurement:
- Mixed Materials: Packaging made from a single type of plastic is better suited for the closed-loop system. This means that products or packages made from various materials, especially those that are difficult to separate, are not good candidates for this type of process.
- Hard-to-Remove Adhesives: Another problem area in terms of recovery and cleaning processes is hard-to-remove adhesives. Adhesives left on a package can contaminate the entire recycling process. In addition, some adhesive materials can compromise the structural integrity of packaging when removed. Proper recovery could include the use of glues that can dissolve easily in water or using other types of fasteners that can be easily separated or disassembled.
- Degrading Additives: Flame retardants and specific colorants can degrade the plastic quality, making it unsuitable for use as packaging. The overall goal of recovery is to maintain the quality and purity of the packaging material so it can be used again and again.
- Contamination: Due to packaging being recovered from end user locations there is a risk of organic and foreign material contamination. If not removed, these contamination can disrupt the recycling process and cause larger yields scrap due to the need to extract material from the machinery.
A good candidate for any packaging that could use the closed-loop recycling system will be one that is durable throughout recovery, doesn’t have the issues outlined above, is made of a single-resin composition and can be sorted and cleaned without causing any performance instability.
PLASTICS AND CLOSED LOOP RECYCLING: BARRIERS AND BREAKTHROUGHS
Closed-loop recycling is easier to process for glass and aluminum due to a variety of factors. For example, plastics degrade with the heating and cooling cycle, leading to downgrading. They are also sensitive to contamination, as even a small amount of another plastic can ruin a batch. Plastics also come in incompatible types or resins, requiring complex sorting. Glass and aluminum products maintain their quality and can be melted and reformed indefinitely.
However, just because there are challenges relating to plastics and the closed-loop process, doesn’t make it impossible. In fact, recent advancements have made it much more feasible for plastics to be processed through a closed-loop system. This is primarily driven by technological advancements, including filtration systems and wash lines, as well as the evolution of regulatory frameworks.
Key changes that have improved the feasibility of closed-loop or same-use recycling for plastics include advanced sorting techniques that counteract inconsistent curbside sorting and address other contamination challenges. There have also been improvements in plastic material itself, with same-use plastic now being embraced by more industries. Same-use plastic sets a higher bar for post-consumer resin (PCR) material. It provides reliable strength and specs. Overall, single-resin recovery programs, stronger end-market demand for PCR and more manufacturers committing to reuse PCR in the same product category has improved closed-loop recycling for plastics.
HOW CLOSED LOOP COLLECTION PROGRAMS WORK IN PACKAGING
Implementing a successful closed-loop system has to work in order to move from a theory to something practical. In addition, success often depends greatly on contamination control and predictable recovery volume. Therefore, a closed-loop program must be intentionally built and serve as supply chains of recycled materials. This will not happen accidentally simply by embracing curbside recycling. Instead, it must be purposefully designed and organized.
The following is a breakdown of exactly how the closed-loop collection process works in packaging to showcase why it can be a good option for many stakeholders.
- Use: This is when the consumer uses the product or opens the packaging.
- Return/Collection: The next step is proper disposal or collection systems. This can include a public recycling bin, a return program, or a curbside bin and other packaging recovery logistics.
- Consolidation/Bailing: After plastic materials are collected, they are then transported to a material recovery facility (MRF). This often involves bailing the material into compact rectangular blocks for more efficient transport and storage.
- Sorting/Verification: When at the MRF, each bail is broken open and materials are then sorted, and quality control checks are performed. This step also includes removing contaminants, like food residue, caps, and labels through an extensive washing and cleaning process. The sorting and verification step is key to ensure a pure material stream of high-quality plastics, which is necessary to produce the same type of packaging again.
- Reprocessing in PCR: The clean, sorted plastic is then shredded into flakes that are then washed and decontaminated. These are then melted down and extruded into pellets, which are also called nurdles creating post-consumer resin or PCR.
- Remanufacture Same Product Type: At this stage, manufacturers can purchase PCR pellets and use them as raw material to form new packaging, creating the exact same type of product or packaging.
CLOSED LOOP RECYCLING FOR POLYPROPYLENE CORRUGATED PACKAGING
Yes, corrugated plastic can be recycled, making closed-loop recycling an option for polypropylene (PP) corrugated plastic packaging. At SeaCa Plastic Packaging, our CORR Cycle program is a take-back initiative and one of our material recovery programs that collects used corrugated polypropylene boxes from customers and then reprocesses them into high-quality PCR used in the manufacturing of additional recyclable polypropylene packaging or polypropylene curated packaging. The closed-loop process ensures that recovered PP goes back into the same high-value application instead of being diverted into unrelated downcycled goods and creates a closed loop supply chain.
A plastic closed-loop recycling process is a workable way to utilize PP corrugated packaging producing durable material that is single-resin and involves clean recovery pathways through customer participation, thus creating sustainable plastic packaging. This means a plastic closed-loop program is functional when collection and reuse are engineered into the system, creating advantageous circular packaging systems. Contact us at SeaCa Plastic Packaging to learn more about plastic circularity initiatives, circular economy packaging and sustainable plastic packaging.
