Plastic waste is one of Mexico's toughest environmental challenges — but a new collaboration could help turn one of the hardest-to-recycle materials into something reusable, according to Packaging Insights.
Canadian company Aduro Clean Technologies has partnered with Mexico's packaging industry association ECOCE to explore a new way of recycling flexible and multilayer plastic packaging — the kinds of wrappers, pouches, and films that often end up in landfills because they're nearly impossible to process through traditional recycling systems.
Packaging Insights reported that organizations are evaluating Aduro's Hydrochemolytic Technology (HCT), a chemical process that breaks down complex plastic waste into reusable liquid hydrocarbons. The technology operates at moderate temperatures, using catalysts to break down plastics into smaller, more valuable molecules.
Aduro said, per Packaging Insights, independent testing has shown the resulting material is "comparable to conventional fossil feedstocks, providing key building blocks for the production of new plastics." This helps keep existing materials in circulation rather than extracting new fossil resources.
Mexico generates an estimated 6 to 7 million metric tons of plastic waste annually, with flexible packaging accounting for roughly 1.5 million metric tons — even more than PET beverage containers.
Unlike rigid plastics, flexible packaging is often made from multiple layers of polymers, inks, and adhesives. That makes mechanical recycling difficult or economically unfeasible, leaving much of it without a viable end-of-life solution.
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That's where HCT could make a difference. Innovations like this can lower cleanup costs, reduce exposure to plastic pollution, which is linked to human health problems, and help communities manage waste more safely — all while creating new economic opportunities.
And, by turning difficult plastic waste into a usable resource, the partnership could help reduce landfill pressure, cut pollution, and support more resilient recycling systems across Mexico.
Plastic waste is a massive global problem, with 19 to 23 million metric tons of plastic waste polluting our water systems each year, according to the UN. Beyond using less plastic and choosing plastic-free options, which are key to addressing the issue, efforts like this show how technology can tackle even the trickiest waste streams.
Adrián Velasco, director of Flexible Plastic Packaging at ECOCE, explained to Packaging Insights: "Our objective is to generate the information and partnerships needed to transform flexible and multilayer packaging from a difficult waste stream into a resource that contributes to the circular economy, benefits local communities, and strengthens the commitments of the brands that support ECOCE."
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