Aluminium Deutschland warns of shortage of high quality recycling materials

Aluminium Deutschland has warned the packaging industry about the shortages recycling materials.

In November 2022, the EU Commission presented a draft of a new regulation for packaging and packaging waste, which aims, among other things, at promoting the use of recycled materials in packaging. 

According to this, with a few exceptions, plastic packaging must contain a certain minimum amount of recycled materials per plastic packaging unit from 1 January 2030, which are obtained from consumer plastic waste, so-called Post Consumer Recycling (PCR) materials. 

For other materials, such as metals, the planned regulation does not currently include specific targets for the use of recycled materials.

Irrespective of these current legal developments, Aluminium Deutschland says the manufacturers of aluminium and plastic tubes and aluminium aerosol cans organised in the Tubes, Cans and Impact Extruded Parts Division have been working successfully for years on the increasing use of recycled materials in their packaging.

“The fact is, however, that the demand for high-quality aluminium and plastic recycling material needed for the production of packaging exceeds the supply by far. The race for these materials is on, worldwide,” says Clemens Behrenbruch, chairman of AD’s Tubes, Cans and Impact Extruded Parts Division.

For example, for recycled polyethylene (PE) from PCR materials that are suitable for food contact, there are currently only a very limited number of suppliers throughout Europe. This is partly due to the fact that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is significantly behind in approving recycling processes for polyolefins. The situation is further aggravated by the fact that large parts of the personal care industry also demand food-grade recycled material qualities.

“Accordingly, the current suppliers of food-grade PCR-polyethylene can more or less dictate the conditions in an oligopolistic market structure. The situation is similarly precarious for the barrier material EVOH, where supply is also severely limited. The material costs for packaging manufacturers are correspondingly high.

In addition, often tool changes must be made in packaging production in order to be able to process the recycled material, which drives up costs even further,” Behrenbruch complains.

The shortage of recycled materials can be alleviated through an even more consistent design for recycling of packaging and the creation of an appropriate legal framework in Europe that promotes the profitability of recycling activities and investments in technologies and supply logistics, says the company.

“The increased use of PCR material is therefore not a wishful thinking but has to face the hard realities on the supply side. Here, packaging manufacturers, brand owners, retailers, recyclers and legislators are equally challenged to create the necessary market and legal foundations,” Behrenbruch sums up.

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