Resin producer Nova Chemicals, Calgary, Alberta, together with packaging supplier Pregis, Chicago, developed flexible food packaging made from recycled polyethylene (rPE).
Flexible pack formats will include stand-up pouches (SUPs), pouches with fitments, and lay-flat bags.
The packaging film is made using Syndigo rPE-0860-FC resin, which is Nova’s first mechanically recycled, food-contact rPE grade. It's sourced from post-consumer high-density polyethylene milk, water, and juice jugs.
The resin is also suitable for rigid food packaging.
The 100% mechanically recycled resin is produced in Canada, and Pregis manufactured film for the flexible rPE packaging at its blown-film extrusion facility in Anderson, SC.
Syndigo rPE-0860-FC resin is FDA-compliant and has been approved for use in food-contact applications. In addition, packaging made from the resin offers excellent printability and clarity, striking a balance between packaging performance and sustainability.
The rPE packaging is also potentially recyclable via mechanical or chemical recycling, “subject to design for circularity, the contents, and rec
Nova works with several recycling partners across North America to produce Syndigo resins.
“We plan to grow our footprint in recycling considerably over the next several years and will use a variety of business models that allow us to provide the highest performing products and value to our customers,” Schrob says.
In addition to its interest in mechanical recycling, Nova is active in chemical recycling. In 2022, the company partnered with Enerkem on a pilot project to convert syngas made from hard-to-recycle plastic into a feedstock for virgin-grade polyethylene.
ycling infrastructure in the local geography,” says Alan Schrob, director of mechanical recycling at Nova Chemicals.
