With a newly developed process to recycle its “Ixan” biaxially oriented PVDC film from post-industrial waste, Belgian plastics giant Solvay (Brussels; www.solvay.com) says it has proved the potential of recycling polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) used in food, beverage, and healthcare multilayer barrier packaging without compromising the performance of the high-barrier polymer. The company is now calling on other players to help launch a functioning recycling system.

“The proof of concept developed by Solvay’s research team shows that it is possible to reintegrate the recycled polymer into future applications, as it can be reused and re-blended with virgin materials,” says Claire Guerrero, global marketing manager for the packaging segment and sustainability. Yves Vanderveken, senior project portfolio leader R&I at the Brussels-based plastics producer, adds that the company’s technology proves it is possible to maintain the high quality of the polymer so that the recycled product meets the necessary strict requirements for indirect food contact and fulfils its function as a strong barrier against water, oxygen and aromas.

Solvay calls its process “groundbreaking” for PVDC recycling and “an important step towards finding solutions for recycling post-consumer packaging containing more sustainable and circular packaging applications”. But to make this an industrial reality, it stresses that the infrastructure required to collect and segregate packaging containing PVDC must be created.

Very recently, Solvay upgraded its full-year outlook for 2021, after Q2 sales and earnings beat market expectations (see Plasteurope.com of 26.08.2021).