As part of the SPIRIT programme, Fortum and Orthex in collaboration with other partners are researching whether recycled plastic could be used in products suitable for food contact.
Fortum and Orthex have been collaborating on recycled plastics for several years, and Orthex has used the Fortum Circo® recycled plastic in many of its products. This project concentrated on testing whether the Fortum Circo® recycled plastic material could be used in products suitable for food contact, if the material was made from post-consumer food plastic packaging.
“The Fortum Circo® recycled plastic granulate is a competitive and sustainable choice as a raw material for the plastics industry. The carbon footprint of the Fortum Circo® PP grade used in this project is more than 70% lower than that of virgin polypropylene,” says Anniina Rasmus, Brand Sales Manager, Fortum Circo®.
Based on the testing of the material that was separately collected at Fortum's plastic refinery in Riihimäki, material fractions were found that passed all the same laboratory tests that Orthex regularly uses to ensure the safety and suitability of its products for food contact.
The results of the product development and tests indicate that recycled plastic is, at least in principle, suitable for food contact. However, starting production on a profitable industrial scale would require e.g. further development of sorting technology. Challenges are also posed by the closed cycle required for product safety, i.e. ensuring that recycled plastic intended for food contact is made from plastic packaging that was originally used for packaging food.
“This pilot study is a great example of how mechanically recycled plastic is also safe and possible to use even in food packaging. However, we still need a lot of research and have to harmonise packaging materials especially for industrial use to become a reality. It’s been great to see that there are responsible and innovative companies such as Orthex that are ready to research and develop solutions for the future from recycled plastic,” says Mikko Koivuniemi, Business & Technology Development Manager at Fortum Recycling & Waste.
“These research results are very promising and give us hope that we can make more of our future products from recycled plastic, including those for food contact. It is vital for us to lower the carbon footprint of our products as we’re aiming towards carbon-neutral production by 2030,” says Alexander Rosenlew, CEO of Orthex.
The research project’s next focus areas are the development of sorting technology, improvement of traceability, and further review of legal restrictions. The project will continue until the end of 2024.
Further information on the SPIRIT programme is available here: SPIRIT programme