The path to a more sustainable packaging landscape cannot be travelled alone. This is demonstrated by a co-operation between the two companies Neste and Illig. They are jointly conducting a case study on the use of renewable raw materials, particularly for food packaging.
Nests and Illig have entered into a strategic partnership to promote the use of more sustainable solutions in the production of thermoformed plastic packaging through case studies. Examples will be used to demonstrate that renewable and recycled materials can be used as a drop-in solution for demanding applications. To this end, the value chains are replicated on a smaller scale for demonstration purposes.
The partners are combining Neste's expertise as a supplier of renewable and recycled materials for plastics production with Illig's expertise in the production of thermoforming systems to develop practical demonstration projects. The projects, also involving other partners, are intended to show that that plastics made from more sustainable raw materials can be used in existing infrastructure in a similar way to fossil plastics. and can be further processed into products that are of the same quality and whose properties meet the legal requirements.
In spring 2022, Illig and Neste conducted a successful feasibility study together with the companies LyondellBasell and Fernholz. In this study, the renewable raw material Neste RE was processed along the value chain into polypropylene with a measurable, bio-based C14 content. The study showed that further process steps along the value chain - including cracking, polymerisation, film extrusion and thermoforming - could be carried out without deviating from the processing of fossil raw materials. The four companies presented their joint project at the K 2022 trade fair in Düsseldorf with a live demonstration of the thermoforming process.
Under the new co-operation agreement, Illig and Neste will now conduct similar case studies to promote the use of renewable raw materials such as Neste RE, especially in demanding applications such as food packaging or in technical applications such as consumer electronics. In addition to the production of packaging with different measurable C14 contents, packaging made from recycled raw materials could also be analysed in such studies. Neste's chemical recycling capabilities can be utilised to create circular plastics value chains.
In individual cases, other partners are invited to participate in projects in order to replicate entire value chains. The processes, systems and machines used are closely monitored and analysed during the studies in order to gain new insights into product quality and properties as well as the performance of the value chain infrastructure.
Source: Nests
