US materials science company Void Technologies (Neenah, Wisconsin; www.voidtechnologies.com) said its patented VO+ polyethylene masterbatch technology has received pre-qualification from the How2Recycle project as a store drop-off recyclable in the US and as widely recyclable in Canada for curbside pickup.

How2Recycle, part of the US-based Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC, Charlottesville, Virginia; www.sustainablepackaging.org), administers a labelling programme in its home country and Canada that helps consumers understand how to recycle, with information prominently displayed on the packaging. The group’s label for consumer-facing use is still to be determined.

The VO+ technology replaces solid plastic with micro- and nano-scale air pockets to reduce the carbon footprint of high-performance packaging, without gas injection or mineral fillers. The company’s cavitated Machine Direction Orientation (MDO) PE films made with the masterbatch have been approved by EU recycling initiative RecyClass (Brussels; www.recyclass.eu) as fully compatible with the European PE film recycling stream.

Void Technologies said last November that it achieved Critical Guidance Recognition from the US-based Association of Plastics Recyclers (APR, Washington, D.C.; www.plasticsrecycling.org) for the technology, confirming its compatibility with American PE film recycling.