CreaSolv^® Pilot plant - Recycling of Polyethylene Sachets – Unilever (2015)

Small single-use plastic pouch packaging, so-called „sachets“ are very popular in developing and emerging countries, because they allow low-income consumers to buy small amounts of quality products that would otherwise be unaffordable to them. Empty flexible packaging is just thrown away or ends up in landfill because there exist no viable recycling technology and generally it lacks a waste logistic in those countries as well. The fact that globally only 14% of all plastic packaging is recycled explains the reports about polluted beaches and garbage patches in the oceans and why Asia is seen as the main problem. But actually there is a growing awareness that every spot on this earth is affected and industrialized countries have a big problem with plastic packaging as well.

Asia is for a global company like Unilever a very important market and so the search for a solution to the problem started early, because sachets are multi-layer plastic compound systems which cannot be processed by the usual mechanical recycling processes.

Read more: Unilever Sachet Recycling (2015)

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