ANTEC® Recap: Amcor outlines efforts to make flexible packaging more sustainable
Posted: 05/07/2021
Material reduction and new resin grades are one route to success
By Robert Grace
Charting end-of-life options for plastics packaging begins at the front end of the process, in the design stage, according to Fabio Peyer, Amcor Ltd.’s sustainability director.
Speaking on the second day of SPE’s virtual ANTEC® conference, Peyer took attendees through some of the history of the PET bottle, as an example. Compared to the heavy, multimaterial, nonrecyclable PET bottles of the 1990s, today’s equivalent is about 35 percent lighter and recyclable.
Flexible plastics packaging needs similar advances, he noted, and much effort is being expended on that front.
“You start by fixing the design of the package,” said Peyer, who has worked for more than 11 years at Amcor, a $12.5 billion global maker of rigid and flexible plastics packaging. He traced some of the many collaborative projects that are tackling the challenge of making flexible plastics more recyclable, such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Project Barrier and efforts by CEFLEX, a collaborative initiative in Europe that represents the value chain of flexible packaging.
This is, of course, a complex undertaking, involving materials producers, packaging equipment makers, film producers and converters, brand owners and retailers, waste collectors and sorters, consumers, recyclers, regulators and more.
Materials choice is vital during the design process, and for flexible packaging there is a strong preference for mono-material solutions, particularly polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), Peyer said. He noted the previous widespread use of oriented PET (OPET) in the exterior layer of multilayer structures, as it provided excellent heat resistance for sealing and dimensional stability for printing. But it prevented mechanical recycling. And the use of many types of barrier layers also inhibited recyclability.
These challenges have led Amcor to develop a range of all-polyester film products called AmPrima. The company describes these as “recycle-ready solutions with no compromise on performance.” Amcor introduced this portfolio a couple of months ago, Peyer said, with AmPrima PE being the standard line, and AmPrima PE Plus offering ultraclear properties and high heat resistance.
Additionally, he said, beyond recyclability, these products offer significant other environmental benefits, including a 60 percent reduction in non-renewable energy use, a 46 percent reduction in carbon footprint and an 18 percent reduction in water consumption, compared with the incumbent oriented PP film. All of this, and AmPrima PE Plus still runs at a machine speed equal to OPET, Peyer noted.
Much work remains to be done, he concluded, but significant progress is being made.
Kim McLoughlin Senior Research Engineer, Global Materials Science Braskem
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Kim drives technology programs at Braskem to develop advanced polyolefins with improved recyclability and sustainability. As Principal Investigator on a REMADE-funded collaboration, Kim leads a diverse industry-academic team that is developing a process to recycle elastomers as secondary feedstock. Kim has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Cornell. She is an inventor on more than 25 patents and applications for novel polyolefin technologies. Kim is on the Board of Directors of SPE’s Thermoplastic Materials & Foams Division, where she has served as Education Chair and Councilor.
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Gamini has a BS and PhD from Purdue University in Materials Engineering and Sustainability. He joined Penn State as a Post Doctorate Scholar in 2020 prior to his professorship appointment. He works closely with PA plastics manufacturers to implement sustainability programs in their plants.
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Tom Giovannetti holds a Degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Tulsa and for the last 26 years has worked for Chevron Phillips Chemical Company. Tom started his plastics career by designing various injection molded products for the chemical industry including explosion proof plugs and receptacles, panel boards and detonation arrestors for 24 inch pipelines. Tom also holds a patent for design of a polyphenylene sulfide sleeve in a nylon coolant cross-over of an air intake manifold and is a Certified Plastic Technologist through the Society of Plastic Engineers. Tom serves on the Oklahoma Section Board as Councilor, is also the past president of the local Oklahoma SPE Section, and as well serves on the SPE Injection Molding Division board.
Joseph Lawrence, Ph.D. Senior Director and Research Professor University of Toledo
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Dr. Joseph Lawrence is a Research Professor and Senior Director of the Polymer Institute and the Center for Materials and Sensor Characterization at the University of Toledo. He is a Chemical Engineer by training and after working in the process industry, he has been engaged in polymers and composites research for 18+ years. In the Polymer Institute he leads research on renewably sourced polymers, plastics recycling, and additive manufacturing. He is also the lead investigator of the Polyesters and Barrier Materials Research Consortium funded by industry. Dr. Lawrence has advised 20 graduate students, mentored 8 staff scientists and several undergraduate students. He is a peer reviewer in several journals, has authored 30+ peer-reviewed publications and serves on the board of the Injection Molding Division of SPE.
Matt Hammernik Northeast Account Manager Hasco America
A Resin Supplier’s Perspective on Partnerships for the Circular Economy
About the Speaker
Matt Hammernik serves as Hasco America’s Northeast Area Account Manager covering the states Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. He started with Hasco America at the beginning of March 2022. Matt started in the Injection Mold Industry roughly 10 years ago as an estimator quoting injection mold base steel, components and machining. He advanced into outside sales and has been serving molders, mold builders and mold makers for about 7 years.
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Charting end-of-life options for plastics packaging begins at the front end of the process, in the design stage, according to Fabio Peyer, Amcor Ltd.’s sustainability director. 
