Solvay Announces Groundbreaking PVDC Recycling Solution

Solvay has conducted a proof-of-concept demonstrating that polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) has the potential to be recycled
.
PVDC is often used in multi-layer barrier packaging for food, beverages and healthcare
.

This proof-of-concept involves the recovery of Ixan® PVDC bidirectional membranes from post-industrial waste from food packaging without compromising the properties of high-barrier polymers
.
This marks an important step towards more sustainable and circular packaging applications and has the potential to initiate other initiatives such as recycling post-consumer packaging containing PVDC
.

Claire Guerrero, Global Marketing Manager for Solvay Packaging and Sustainability, said: "The proof-of-concept developed by our research team is a circular solution for PVDC packaging
.
It shows that it is possible to reintegrate recycled polymers into future applications.
, which means it can be reused and remixed with virgin material without losing or degrading its high barrier properties
.
"

“The recycling technology developed by our team allows us to achieve the right quality so that the recycled PVDC meets the stringent requirements for indirect food contact, thus closing the loop
,” adds Yves Vanderveken, R&I Senior Projects Portfolio Leader
.

Maintaining the high quality of polymers is critical to Solvay's search for sustainable solutions
.
Solvay specialty polymers are widely used in food preservation and waste reduction due to their strong water, oxygen and odor resistance properties
.
Reducing these properties would defeat its purpose
.

Now that the initial breakthrough has been made, Solvay is urging other companies in the plastics industry to work together to make PVDC recycling a reality
.
In particular, the necessary infrastructure needs to be introduced to collect and separate PVDC-containing packaging
.

“There is no doubt that establishing a global PVDC recycling stream is a daunting task, so we invite our peers to join us in our efforts to introduce PVDC recycling on a global scale,” added Claire Guerrero, “In Plastic Packaging Recycling We all have a role to play, and Solvay does the same
.
”

The results of this proof-of-concept open up new possibilities for testing the recyclability concept in other packaging applications using PVDC
.