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MATERIALS RECOVERY FOR THE FUTURE: FLEXIBLE PACKAGING RESEARCH PROGRAM Emily Tipaldo, Director, Packaging Division, American Chemistry Council Susan Graff, VP, Global Corporate Sustainability, Resource Recycling Systems March 15, 2016

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MATERIALS RECOVERY FOR THE

FUTURE: FLEXIBLE PACKAGING

RESEARCH PROGRAM

Emily Tipaldo, Director, Packaging Division, American Chemistry Council

Susan Graff, VP, Global Corporate Sustainability, Resource Recycling Systems

March 15, 2016

IN THIS PRESENTATION

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• Who We Are• Why Research is Important to Do Now• Our 2016 Research Agenda• Where We Go From Here

MATERIALS RECOVERY FOR THE FUTURE

A New Research Collaborative

3

• Members of The Materials Recovery for the Future Collaborative share a simple vision:

“Flexible packaging is recycled, and the recovery community captures value from it.”

• We are leading research to advance understanding of how flexible plastic packaging can be effectively sorted for recovery

4Hosted by: Foundation for Chemistry Research and Initiatives,

[email protected],

THE

PACKAGING

STREAM IS

EVOLVING –2012 to 1990 Baseline

*

*% of waste streamSource: RRS

End ofLife

Sourcing Manufacture Use

While flexible packaging performs well from a life cycle perspective* due to its low use of raw materials for the product protection it affords , many stakeholders expect end-of-life management options to improve.

TOTAL LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT IS THE

EXPECTATION FOR PACKAGING

*Flexible Packaging: Less Resources, Energy, Emissions & Waste

DESPITE STRONG GROWTH OF FLEXIBLES, MANAGING CONCERNS

ABOUT LACK OF POST-USE OPTIONS IS CHALLENGING

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• Consumer expectations

• Corporate Environmental Goals

• Shareholder resolutions

• Customer (brand/ retailer) requirements

• Regulatory requirements

COMPANIES ARE COMMITED TO FINDING RECOVERY

SOLUTIONS FOR FLEXIBLE PLASTIC PACKAGING

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KEY PROBLEM: Flexible Plastic Packaging Currently Presents Processing Challenges for Today’s Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs)

• Disc screens sort materials by dimensional (2D, 3D) shape –separating paper and cardboard from containers

• Films can get tangled; cause downtime and significant expense

• Some flexibles like pouches may be multi-material

• Flexible pouches are likely to sort with flat items like paper

• Contaminate other streams of materials and devalue commodity bales

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Major Efforts in the U.S.

MRFF Focus is the Processing Element of the

Sustainable Recovery Value Chain•Dow/FPA

Energy Bag•ACC- FFRG• SPI FFBD and

Recycling Committee

•APR-Film Committee

• SPC – ILC•How2Recycle•ACC/SPC/APR

- WRAP Recycling Action Program • SPI Recycling

Committee and FFBD

Plastics Recovery Facility (PRF)Access

New Products or Energy

MRF

Landfill

Bagged or Loose?

How can it be affordably sorted

at the MRF?

How can increased value be created for

the material?

What are viable end markets for the range of

materials?

RRS OPTIONS ANALYSIS IDENTIFIED 4 KEY

QUESTIONS FOR MRFF RESEARCH

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THE KEY PATHWAY FOR OUR RESEARCH –Can loose flexible plastic be separated in a MRF system?

Collection System

MRF End Markets

Consumer

Bagged

Loose

Hand-Pulled

Hand-Pulled

Auto-Sorted

Mixed Flexibles

BaleFlexibles

PRF

Thermal Conversion

Marketable Grades

Without affecting the other value streams?

Seeded test materials into single stream feedstock

Feedstock and test materials mixed together

• All materials run through MRF

• Samples obtained from all products where seed materials were observed

• Samples sorted to measure amount of seed materials in each product

Baseline Test Conducted November 2015

• As predicted, the majority of flexible plastic packaging flowed to the fiber lines (88%)

• Optical sorters were able to extract a relatively clean stream of flexibles from the fiber

• Screens and optical sorters used were overwhelmed

• Conclusion: With adequate screening and optical sorting capacity on the fiber lines most of the flexibles in a single stream MRF to be captured

Baseline Test Results

Flexible Plastics Research Program

MRF Equipment Testing Program

PRF Research Program

Re-imagine System of the Future*

Define System of the Future

2015-2016 research program aimed at

testing most feasible solution based on net

system costs and adaptation of existing sortation technology

2016 research to develop new technology

to ensure mechanical recycling of resins that currently have markets

and increasing the value of the bale

Additional work with more diverse recovery value chain partners to

develop recovery infrastructure that handles new mix of

materials

MATERIALS RECOVERY FOR THE FUTUREGlobal Strategy

Address Key Challenges Through Existing Technologies

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*Looking for partners to participate in these programs

Thermal Conversion

For example, pyrolysis. Potential

solutions for smaller communities or those

that want to target the broad range of

plastics not currently recycled

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PROJECT ORGANIZATION – WE INVITE MORE DIALOGUE

Steering Committee:- Jeff Wooster, Dow chair - Pam Oksiuta, SCJ- Emily Tipaldo, ACC, project manager - Gerald Rebitzer, Amcor- Susan Graff, RRS, MRFF project director - Vince Herran, Sealed Air- Diane Herndon, Nestle Purina - Steve Sikra, P&G - Brad Rodgers, Pepsico

Technical Advisory Committee:• Steve Sikra, P&G - co chair• Larry Baner, Nestle Purina - co chair• Fabio Peyer, Amcor• Brad Rodgers, PepsiCo• Jon Pyper, Dow• Jeff Zettle, SC Johnson • Vince Herren, Sealed Air• Sandi Childs, APR • Kim Holmes, SPI• Ram Singhal, FPA• Michael Timpane, RRS

Communications Committee:• Diane Herndon, Nestle Purina – chair• Emily Tipaldo, ACC • Pam Oksiuta, SCJ• Becky Zavala, Dow• Susan Graff, RRS• Anne Johnson, RRS

Next Steps

• MRF Equipment Test Report to be published August 2016

• PRF Research Program under development:For additional information on joining contact: Jeff Wooster ([email protected]) or Emily Tipaldo ([email protected])

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Optional Slides for MRFF

Member Meetings

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• Learn where flexible packaging will end up in the MRF

• Establish baseline for what portion of flexible packaging can be potentially captured to a target bale

• Identify what sort processes need to be modified to improve recovery of flexible packaging at MRFs

Work to Date

Baseline Test Goals

Selection of MRF for Baseline

RRS Hypothesis: Optical sorters were the most cost-effective, practical way to separate FP from fiber - Based on previous RRS and WRAP (UK) work • Extensive Search

– represented different configurations – use optical sorters with performance specifications

potentially adaptable to sort FP from fiber – Easily Converted for the test

• CP San Diego MRF was a good match and an equipment manufacturer

CP San Diego MRF – Flow Chart:

Feed Stock With Flexible

Packaging (FP)

Old News Print (ONP) Screen

Mixed paper Screen

Optical Sort

Optical Sort

Air Drum Separator

(ADS)

Eddy Current Separator

(ECS)

Fines to Residue

ONP + 63% of FP

Mixed Paper +25% of FP

30% of FP

ONP + 33% of FP

8% of FP

Mixed Paper + 17% of FP

Manual Sort ADS StreamManual Sort Containers

8% of FP to Residue4% of FP

From ADS

Aluminum

Containers + 12 % of FP

HDPENatural

HDPEColor

PETMixedPaper

Foil

Steel Cans

Magnet

88% of flexible

packaging flowed with

the fiber lines

Focus is on optical sorters• Determine if specific package form, resin

content or ink/coatings cause recognition problems

• Determine if certain forms are difficult to eject

• Determine optical sorter sizing needed to maximize recovery

Secondary focus on disc screens• Work with manufacturers to define

throughput limitations caused by addition of FP

• Screen testing will be performed if manufacturers indicate need to verify throughput limits before future MRF testing

Next Steps: Lab and Further Field Testing

High-speed Conveyor

Sensor

Ejection Air Nozzle

FiberFlexible

Packaging

Collection Hood

Infeed

Optical Sorter Schematic

Screens are already changing because of the

presence of film

Screens need to be adequately sized, and not wrap materials - note shape of shafts

• Larger or redundant optical sorters would be needed to capture all of the FP in the fiber stream at the normal throughput rate

• Larger screens are needed to achieve a high FP recovery at the normal throughput rate

• A downstream Air Drum Separator captured a portion of the FP that flowed with containers- air or manual recovery of small or 3D flex pak systems will be needed

Next Steps: Lab and Further Field Testing

Towards a MRF of the Future

• Scale • Cost • Mission

End Market Development Key to Success

Technology Input Products Output Products

Intrusion Molding

80% of the water used in the washing process is recycled

• Plastic grades HDPE 1-7

• Flexibles LDPE

• No PET

• Plastic lumber

• Pallets

Product Pictures

• For example, JET Recycling a promising reprocessing technology

• Headquartered and patented in Henderson, Nevada

• Technology available in Europe