The United Kingdom-based recycling program Prevented Ocean Plastic, along with its industry partners, has announced the first food-safe recycled polypropylene that meets European Union food safety standards, as reported by Packaging Gateway.
Despite polypropylene's widespread use, the global postconsumer recycling rate for this plastic type is dismal, at only around 1%, according to the report. The new product could make a considerable impact in its first year by preventing an estimated 500 million polypropylene cups from ending up in the ocean.
Food-grade polypropylene plastic is considered safer than some other plastics and is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in materials such as yogurt containers, as Healthline has reported. That said, research is still emerging on the health risks of microplastics shedding from certain polypropylene and other plastics.
According to the report, the material for the new plastic will be collected and then processed into food-safe recycled polypropylene by PETMAN using Starlinger Viscotec technology at a center in East Borneo, Indonesia. Two of the companies finding uses for the finished recycled polypropylene will be Innovia Films and Spectra.
Neil Hudson, a recycling and technology expert at Innovia, told Packaging Gateway: "For Innovia, a source of EU food contact-approved polypropylene from a mechanically recovered post-consumer source is a game changer.
"We can now make films for label and flexible packaging in the food and beverage space and contribute to circularity and sustainability."
Plastic pollution is a global problem that cannot be solved simply by changing consumer behavior. It needs to be addressed systemically, as every year roughly 21 million to 25 million tons of plastic end up in our waterways, and the equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks of plastic are dumped every day, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.
Global plastic production is also a major contributor to planet-heating pollution, as conventional plastics are made from and by using fossil fuels. Currently, the plastic industry produces four times more heat-trapping gases than the airline industry, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
If a food-safe, recycled-plastic alternative can be broadly accepted in markets, less plastic and microplastic pollution will likely reach our waterways.
Until that is possible, supporting plastic-free brands can be a big benefit to your health and wallet.
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Absolutely 👍 Prevented Ocean Plastic has been developing a scalable franchise model, backed by Danone Aqua, for plastic collection. It is designed to contribute to pollution reduction and job growth in struggling coastal communities, per the report.
"This world-first is a monumental moment for ocean plastic prevention," POP founder Raffi Schieir said in the Packaging Gateway report. "This further proves that the Prevented Ocean Plastic franchise model can solve major plastic collection problems at scale and with dignity."
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