Eco-Friendly Range
Plastics for a greener world?
Polythene’s brilliant for packaging and protection but we must consider the environmental impact of its production, use and disposal. However, it’s important to understand that some of the issues around plastics are complex and what may at first glance seem a better option for the planet could have its own drawbacks.
Across the world, governments are legislating. Industry is making advances all the time – and that’s not something solely driven by consumer demand. We all want a greener, safer world – even those of us whose business is in plastics.
We’re passionate about the subject, and if you would like to learn more, you can always get in touch. Meanwhile, here’s a quick introduction to what’s happening, some of the advances and a few of the issues.
Are biodegradable films bio-friendly?
All polythene does degrade. Over time, light and heat turn polythene into a brittle material, and this breaks down into small flakes. It just takes a long time for this to happen.
At first glance, biodegradable films are the future of polythene, but like everything, it’s not quite that simple.
Unfortunately, that magic piece of polythene that vanishes into a cloud of dust when finished with doesn’t exist (not just yet anyway) but at Flextex, we are working on an Eco-Friendly Range that are better for the planet. These include R-Flex and Pro-Flex films and the Eco-Flex range: A-Flex, C-Flex and S-Flex.
What’s regran?
Initially, within the industry, the focus was on recycling. Virgin plastics, once used, were reprocessed. After cleaning and granulating, a proportion of re-granulated material (regran) was blended with new virgin materials. Improving technology has allowed the proportion of regran to be increased, and fully recycled materials are now possible.
One of the challenges with regran materials is ensuring that quality is good. For example, it would be difficult to guarantee clear film with a poor quality regran input. There’s also some confusion about using regran materials for food-grade packaging. The rules are changing, and the industry is doing its best to respond.
At Flextex, we are very careful with our sourcing, working with reputable recyclers who have high standards. Our regran options are 100% recycled and we believe they are the best option for the environment.
What’s PCW?
PCW is post-consumer waste. The concept is simple: when the consumer has finished with the plastic, recover it, reprocess it and reuse it.
At Flextex, we’ve been working in this area for several years. We actively source and buy back used (finished with) products. We send these materials to our recycling partner, who reprocesses the waste into excellent quality recycled material.
We offer all our PCW (recycled) films as 100% recycled content but can adjust this percentage to suit the application. For example, 100% PCW would not be effective for shrink grade material, but we are proud to offer shrink grade PCW films with 50% recycled content.
More about post-consumer waste, cost and tax
One of the misconceptions we face is that recycled materials should be cheap. If only it were that simple.
One of the new regulations states that to avoid being liable for the Plastics Tax, at least 30% of a product’s content should be derived from post-consumer waste. If not, from 2022, there will be a tax levied of 20%.
The issue is also complicated by the costs – both financial and environmental – of re-using post-consumer waste. It must be collected, transported, cleaned and reprocessed, all activities which have an impact.
If you need help navigating your way through this minefield, our knowledgeable team are here to help.
How does high-strength polythene help?
For over a decade the industry has been developing high-strength blends. The chemistry is smart, but the concept is simple.
By making polythene thinner but every bit as strong, you get the functionality you need while saving 20% of the polythene.
It does get a little complicated in that high-strength blends are more expensive to manufacture. Weight for weight, you pay around 10% more but you use 20% less. There’s a genuine saving in both raw materials and the environmental impact of its production.