Henkel and additive and colour specialist Ampacet are developing black plastic packaging that is fully recyclable. The new material uses an alternative to carbon black, and this enables used bottles to be integrated back into the value chain. Most black plastic packaging is coloured using carbon black pigments and cannot be optically identified by many recycling facilities that largely use near infrared (NIR) detection for plastics sorting.
Together with its supplier Ampacet, a global provider of masterbatch, Henkel is developing an innovative solution for black plastic packaging that is fully recyclable. The new packaging material uses an alternative carbon-free black color, enabling used bottles to be integrated back into the value chain. It will be introduced for black bottles of toilet cleaning products under the Bref brand in May, followed by further Henkel products in the course of this year.
“Recognizing that black bottles are one of the central challenges when it comes to recyclability of used packaging, we want to be part of the solution: The new material will contribute to closing the loop of plastic packaging in a sustainable way,” says Vineet Varman, Head of International Packaging Development for Special Detergents at Henkel Laundry & Home Care. “Our joint development projects across all our three business units underline Henkel’s commitment to sustainable packaging and to drive progress toward a circular value chain.”
Solution for recyclability of black plastic bottles
Due to the used color so far, black plastic packaging poses a challenge for the recycling value chain: Recycling facilities use near infra-red (NIR) technology to identify the plastic materials to be recycled. The optical sensors utilize the reflection of light to detect the material and sort it accordingly. Black plastic packaging, however, due to presence of carbon black cannot be identified and sorted properly by these optical sensors.
Development projects with significant progress
Next to the successful development of the recyclable black bottle for the Bref products, Henkel and Ampacet are currently piloting the new packaging for different products across business units and categories. Through tests under real conditions, the suitability of the new material was confirmed. Cyclos-HTP, an institute specialized in the classification, assessment and certification of recyclability of packaging and goods certified that Henkel’s bottles with this carbon-free black color are fully detectable and sortable. Henkel’s packaging development teams are now working on successfully integrating the new material into additional packaging types while ensuring it meets the highest quality standards. As a next step, they are driving the integration of recycled content in the packaging.
Image: Recyclable black plastic bottles that are coloured with Ampacet’s carbon black-free masterbatch (Photo: Henkel)
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Edited and contributed by: S. Marjani
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