FuturePak

Case: FuturePak

Elopak took part in a long-term research project called “FuturePack,” running from 2017 to 2020/21 . Initiated by the Norwegian green dot organization, the project aims to find sustainable and economically viable solutions to the technological, societal, political, and environmental challenges to developing future plastic packaging materials. The project was supported by the Research Council of Norway and included 13 partners, of which 8 from industry and 5 from institutes/universities.

The project did a thorough evaluation of potential Norwegian feedstocks for pyrolysis recycling processes and recommended wood, straw, and plastic waste .  The project also mapped other polymers often used together with PE and PP in multilayer packaging, enabling these to be included in the pyrolysis process. The tests are currently lab-scale and not commercially tested.

The project also included an LCSA study which provides insight into environmental and societal factors for the various processes and products.

Although the project did not result in specific relevant outcomes for Elopak, we, together with knowledgeable and experienced Norwegian expertise, gained useful knowledge about recycling and using recycled materials in food packaging.