Axion has launched a ‘Design for Recycling’ service to help the plastic packaging value chain ensure packaging placed on the market is optimised for end of life, while maintaining its primary function of product protection.

Packaging designers, food manufacturers, brand owners and retailers, who have an interest in increasing the recyclability of plastic packaging and addressing the growing global problem of pollution from this short life, high profile products, will be the primary targets of the service.

In 2016, nearly 70 per cent of the UK’s plastic packaging waste that was collected for recycling was exported, mainly to the Far East, according to latest WRAP figures. With the Chinese Government’s National Sword initiative coming into effect this year, this level of export is unsustainable. To ensure recycling targets are met, ‘design for recycling’ will play a vital role in developing a more robust domestic recycling infrastructure.

Axion - Design for Recycling service: A black PET tray containing white chocolate leaves.

Richard McKinlay, Axion’s Head of Circular Economy, said: “The spotlight is very much on plastics. Momentum is building as the issue of how we manage packaging waste is climbing up the agendas of every nation.

On the horizon, there’s going to be a push on producer responsibility that will require packaging to be collected and recycled. Brand owners taking action now on their packaging designs can future-proof them against forthcoming issues. This would help to gain a competitive edge in a more environmentally-focussed consumer environment.

During the packaging design process, advice is given on material choices and product design aspects that affect the recyclability and value at end of life.

“Our analysis helps clients to understand how their packaging will be treated at end of life and how this is impacted by the design of the pack,” explained McKinlay. “By identifying the characteristics that reduce the material’s value at end of life, we can suggest alternative choices that can be more readily recycled.

“We do not use a pre-defined tool, so the approach to each situation is unique to ensure an optimised design can be achieved to reach the balance between function and recyclability.”

Increased recycling of plastic packaging waste in the UK would, he argued, reduce the risk of it getting into the world’s oceans. However, this requires the packaging to be ‘desirable for recyclers’. Axion aims to add value to the packaging design process and cover the ‘knowledge gap’ that currently exists.