The award for ‘best recycled plastic product’ goes to Berry Superfos

Berry Superfos wins a Plastics Industry Award for its closed loop recycled paint containers initiative.

An initiative to recycle paint containers in a closed loop system has achieved its second award within only a few months. This time, the recognition came in the shape of a Plastic Industry Award in the ‘best recycled plastic product’ category.

The awarded project – the Berry Closed Loop Recycled Paint Containers initiative – makes it possible to recycle used paint containers by ensuring that enough of the residue paint is removed from the containers before recycling. Søren Rohleder, CEO, Berry Superfos, says:

“The award is another important accolade for our pioneering project. Every day, we strive to advance our participation in society’s circular transformation. The closed loop recycling initiative is an important milestone in these efforts by showcasing how the circular economy can work in practice.”

Packaging coming full circle
The closed loop solution involved the establishment of a circular partnership between Berry Superfos, Paint360, a paint recycling and recovery social enterprise organisation, and Berry Circular Polymers. Under the initiative, the three partners collaborate to collect waste paint, re-engineer it into new paint and recycle the used paint plastic containers into new paint cans for the recovered paint.

CO2 savings and more
The project is delivering significant environmental benefits. It reduces the overall impact of both the paint and its packaging through the reduction of waste product sent to landfill and the carbon emissions associated with incineration. For example, for each tonne of plastic packaging saved from incineration* and recycled**, a total saving of approximately 2.8 tonnes of CO2 is achieved. The Paint360 project, meanwhile, is already saving in excess of 70 tonnes of embedded carbon per month.

A new opportunity for paint producers
The project has also demonstrated the suitability of the circular plastic for the manufacture of new paint containers, performing as well as current PCR material and providing an additional source of feedstock to meet the demand for recycled plastic.

“Closed loop systems can play a vital role in the further development of the circular economy. For the paint industry, they help manufacturers both meet consumer demands for more sustainable solutions and satisfy legislative requirements such as EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility). We will continue to work with our customers in all sectors in the further devising and development of circular packaging solutions,” says Søren Rohleder.

Now in their 21styear, the Plastic Industry Awards recognise and reward innovation and exceptional performance in the UK plastics industry.

* EIONET (European Environment Information and Observation Network) REPORT – ETC/WMGE 2021/3 - GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND NATURAL CAPITAL IMPLICATIONS OF PLASTICS (INCLUDING BIOBASED PLASTICS), Ive Vanderreydt (VITO), Tom Rommens (VITO), Lars Fogh Mortensen, Ida Tange, Anna Tenhunen (VTT)

**QUANTIS - STANDALONE & COMPARATIVE LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF THE RECYCLING PROCESS OF LIGHT POLYPROPYLENE (PP) BY BERRY GROUP, Adrien Trompier • Joao Paulo Serta