DeepSummary
In this episode, Katie Whalen interviews Graham Holder, Managing Director of SLOOP Consulting and founder & project coordinator for CEFLEX. CEFLEX is a collaborative initiative of over 150 companies and associations across the flexible packaging value chain, aiming to make flexible packaging more relevant in the circular economy. Graham provides insights into collection, sorting, recycling, and designing for circular packaging.
Graham explains that CEFLEX's goal is to collect all flexible packaging in Europe, sort it into material types, and recycle those materials into new products. He discusses the roadmap for achieving this, including design guidelines for creating mono-material packaging that can be more easily recycled. Graham also addresses the challenges of recycling multi-material packaging and the potential of chemical recycling.
The episode highlights the importance of collaboration across the value chain and the educational benefits of CEFLEX's work. Graham suggests incorporating elements of the CEFLEX project into Katie's 'In the Loop' game to illustrate the challenges and strategies for achieving a circular economy for packaging.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- CEFLEX is a collaborative initiative involving over 150 companies and associations across the flexible packaging value chain, aimed at making flexible packaging more relevant in the circular economy.
- CEFLEX's goal is to collect, sort, and recycle all flexible packaging materials in Europe, with a vision of returning at least 80% of the materials to the economy.
- CEFLEX has developed design guidelines for creating mono-material packaging that can be more easily recycled, with input from various stakeholders across the value chain.
- Chemical recycling is seen as a potential solution for multi-material packaging that cannot be easily mechanically recycled, particularly for food-contact applications.
- Collaboration across the value chain and education are crucial components of CEFLEX's approach, allowing for a shared understanding and alignment of efforts.
- CEFLEX is conducting industrial-scale trials to test the feasibility and economics of their proposed circular system for flexible packaging.
- The composition of waste streams can vary based on factors like seasonality and cultural events, which presents challenges for accurately assessing and planning recycling processes.
- CEFLEX's work highlights the importance of considering circularity and recycling requirements from the design phase, in addition to functional requirements, for packaging and products.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “We're busy running trials to find out who can use what and in what quantities. And the balance would then be going to chemical recycling.“ by Graham Holder
- “There's an education or a building understanding benefit that comes of the process, and that's not to be underestimated.“ by Graham Holder
- “It's probably the first guidelines that I'm aware of that we develop with input from all parts of the value chain.“ by Graham Holder
- “We're hoping that it enables us to really ratchet up the speed with which we can deliver the circular economy.“ by Graham Holder
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Episode Information
Getting In the Loop: Circular Economy | Sustainability | Closing the Loop
Katherine Whalen
9/21/20