Make new
from old

In its study “Plastic recyclates: The new gold – leveraging new dynamics in recycling regulations and technologies” the renowned German management consultancy “Roland Berger” shows how recycling of plastic waste is a key lever to reduce virgin plastic production and cut plastic littering, landfilling and incineration, thus also reducing emissions.

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Brückner Maschinenbau and the energy consulting company envistra have also clearly confirmed in a study that the use of recyclates reduces the carbon footprint of plastic films the most. Based on the data from a running film production plant in Eastern Europe, the energy consumption and emissions of the plant as well as the specific emissions from the production and transport of the raw materials were recorded.

By using 30% recyclate, it was also possible to reduce the total CO2 emissions by 20%, from 2.744 kg to 2.193 kg per kilogram of film produced. If considered that modern Brückner film stretching lines produce around 8,000 kg per hour, the reduction in CO2 emissions when using recyclate is even more striking, namely with 4.4 tons fewer emissions per hour of production.

Steffen Kuhnigk, process engineer at Brückner Maschinenbau, is already active in several cooperations and initiatives and hopes to convince new partners: “Recyclate quality, availability and new areas of application for films containing recyclate must be developed together. To do this, we need all members of the value chain, from recyclers and raw material manufacturers to branded companies and retailers. And politics and legislation must also be on board.”

One example for a successful cooperation along the value chain is the partnership between Brückner and PureCycle, a US company converting polypropylene plastic waste into like-new plastic. This process helps close the loop on the reuse of recycled plastics while making recycled polypropylene more accessible at scale to companies desiring to use a sustainable, recycled resin.

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