Unitika develops high-grade recycled plastic for food packaging

Japanese firm Unitika has developed a nylon film for food packaging that is mostly made from recycled plastic and maintains the high quality and printability of petroleum-based wrapping.

Think about how many times a day you open plastic food packaging. Multiply that by the number of adults in the world and you’ll get some idea of the benefit of changing that wrapping to recycled material – especially since most food packaging is currently used only once.

Unitika’s new film uses recycled nylon resin recovered through chemical recycling. That process reduces used plastic products and plastic film into raw plastic material that can be made into new products.

The company says that although there are some environmentally friendly food packaging plastics already on the market (some made from plant materials and some from recycled plastic), they are of low quality compared to the original material, which typically uses petroleum. For food producers, who want their goods to look attractive, that is a substantial hurdle.

Recycling plastic waste for a circular economy

As well as chemically recycled nylon, Unitika’s newly developed method also utilizes recycled byproduct materials created in the process of making film. More than 50% of the new nylon film is recycled material. By carefully managing what type of raw material is recycled, the new plastic is hygienically suitable for use as food packaging, the company says.

Unitika has named the film Emblem CE. Those last letters stand for ‘circular economy’ and the goal of a sustainable growth society. Emblem CE is part of Unitika’s ‘For the Earth’ initiatives to create ecological materials and environmentally friendly products and activities.

The company will begin making the film in April at one of its existing factories and aims for annual sales of 500 tons from 2022 onward. It currently uses waste film and resin from its group companies, but is considering working with buyers of the film, such as printing firms and processing manufacturers, to collect materials for reuse.

Unitika aims to make more products that utilize chemical recycling, developing more new materials that are gentle to the environment.

Changing our ways, both personal and businesses

Plastic has become so embedded in our daily lives that it may be impossible to banish them. This especially when hygiene and safety issues make the use of alternative materials impractical. In those cases, adapting existing manufacturing methods is probably the fastest way to create more environmentally friendly products, as Unitika has done.

To create a sustainable society, we need to work together. It does us no good to label some parts of society, like plastics and fossil fuel companies, as the bad guys. We need their help and expertise to change the way the world is now.