Berry Superfos initiative wins recycling award

A circular economy initiative from Berry Superfos to recycle used paint containers to produce new ones has been recognised with a RECOUP Award.

---

Berry Superfos and its project partners recently won a RECOUP Award in the category ‘Best Development or Innovation to Enhance Recyclability or Re-use’.

The awarded project is The Berry Closed Loop Recycled Paint Containers initiative which 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:

“We are delighted to win this award for our closed loop initiative regarding paint containers. The initiative demonstrates the role a closed loop system can play in a circular economy as well as our commitment to supporting our customers in the development of circular packaging solutions.”

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.

“The recovery and recycling of both paint containers and paint will help manufacturers meet demands from their customers for more sustainable solutions, as well as meeting the requirements of any future EPR legislation. Equally important, it gives consumers greater opportunities to sustainably dispose of waste paint and used paint containers,” says Søren Rohleder.

RECOUP is a charity and leading authority providing expertise and guidance across the plastics recycling value chain. 

 

* 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