Innovia extends its BOPP recycling certification

Innovia Films has worked with Interseroh, an independent German recycling and consulting company, to have its high barrier BOPP Propafilm Strata SL film evaluated in August 2019. The film has been awarded a ‘very good’ rating and has been awarded the ‘Made for recycling’ logo. This product has been already used by a German snack manufacturer Wildcorn to package its organic popcorn range. 

Following the successful recycling certification, the company decided to extend the testing program across all its uncoated, acrylic coated and EVOH barrier range of films.

Interseroh analyze and evaluate the packaging based on sound criteria along with the entire afterlife processes (collection, sorting, recycling and processing). The result of their analysis is a scale ranging from non-recyclable through to very good.  

‘This certification provides us with independent validation that our polypropylene films are fully recyclable,’ said Stephen Langstaff, global business manager, Packaging at Innovia Films.

Currently there is a limited collection of flexible films across Europe, which means that this valuable resource is being wasted. Everyday products that have been manufactured from polypropylene can be reclaimed and reprocessed back into polymer pellets for use in a diverse range of commercial and industrial applications such as the molding of plastic parts for the automotive industry.  

Langstaff added: ‘If collection streams were standardized across the UK and Europe, polypropylene and other polyolefins could be recycled and reused without significant problem. The next step for Innovia is to work with partners to develop a food compliant stream so that recyclate can be incorporated back into film.’