Berry Global is introducing a high-quality post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic polymer for non-contact-sensitive packaging, specifically aimed at the homecare and industrial sectors.
Utilizing many of the same processes used to produce Berry’s proprietary contact-sensitive PCR, CleanStream Home and Industrial is suitable for a wide variety of applications with exacting technical specifications. The purity degree of the recycled polymer enables it to be included in greater percentages in all types of packs and in areas which demand a high degree of functional performance, for example trigger spray heads and the lid, ring and handle of paint containers.
“Much of the current industry output of recycled plastic for non-contact-sensitive products is used for items such as plant pots, drainage products, automotive parts, and furniture,” explained Mark Roberts, circular economy director at Berry’s Consumer Products International division.
“However, increasing consumer demand for more sustainable packaging, combined with our customers’ own ambitious sustainability commitments and targets, have driven the need for a recycled polymer with higher purity that is suitable for more challenging applications, and which can also maximise the use of PCR content. CleanStream Home and Industrial has therefore been introduced to provide high quality material to meet vital aesthetic, safety, and functionality requirements.”
One of CleanStream’s major benefits is that it can operate within existing waste management infrastructures. This can provide a closed-loop solution that delivers a more reliable and consistent supply chain. The CleanStream process replaces simple material-based sorting with multiple sorting steps, using AI technology, including automated identification, sorting and decontamination, to deliver very high levels of polymer purity.
Berry’s production facility in Leamington Spa, UK, has the capacity to recycle nearly 40% of all PP waste collected from domestic recycling bins in the UK, producing significantly lower-carbon recycled plastic at scale.
An in-depth life-cycle analysis carried out by Quantis found that packaging made with CleanStream has around 35% lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions than virgin plastic – a reduction of about 36,000 tonnes of CO, annually. This equates to the production of around 26 million five litre paint containers.
According to Euromonitor’s Voice of the Industry: Sustainability Survey, 60% of global corporates plan to launch new products with sustainable packaging claims, The Sustainability Quarterly SKU Count and Price Tracker reported a 13% increase in SKU count for global laundry care products with sustainable packaging claims from Q4 2022 to Q4 2023.
“It is clear that the need for high-quality non-contact-sensitive recycled polymers will continue to grow across homecare and industrial markets,” said Mark Roberts. “We look forward to working with our customers to help them develop packaging that includes high levels of PCR, providing circular solutions with no compromise on performance.”
