Henkel is partnering with Norway-based sorting machine manufacturer Tomra to improve the recyclability of its packaging.
The German chemical and consumers good company has installed Tomra’s Autosort machine in its test laboratory in Düsseldorf, Germany. The detection system will be used to test packaging before market launch to ensure it has the right properties for easy sorting and recycling after disposal. Autosort machines have been in the market for almost 30 years and are installed in around 100 countries worldwide to date.
The scanner is equipped with a near-infrared and a VIS sensor. Using this sensor combination, the device not only detects the product material type, such as plastics like PP, PET, HDPE or paper, but also the colour of the packaging, which can be decisive for sortability.
“Sorting is an essential step in ensuring that packaging can be recycled instead of ending up in incineration plants,” said Dr. Volker Rehrmann, EVP and Head of Tomra Recycling. “At Tomra, we know how product packaging needs to be designed so that modern sorting technologies can recognize it clearly, and we have made it our mission to share this knowledge. A functioning circular economy is only possible if everyone involved in the value chain works together. That’s why collaborations like the one with Henkel are so important,” he added.
Design for recycling is recognised as a key strategy to improve packaging recycling rates. Henkel says it is an ‘integral part’ of its product development process.
“We invest in our in-house capacities to check the sortability of our consumer goods packaging at an early stage,” said Alba Santmarti, packaging sustainability manager at Henkel Consumer Brands. “This is the only way to recycle valuable materials in subsequent steps and close material cycles.”
Source: sustainableplastics.com
