Borealis and ITC Packaging, a leading European manufacturer of thin wall packaging for food-contact applications, have jointly developed a series of new and more sustainable rigid packaging formats that are suitable for food contact.

The partners used resins from the Borcycle™ C and Bornewables™ portfolios to upgrade a number of iconic food packaging formats found on European supermarket shelves, primarily in the ice cream and ready-to-eat segments. These more sustainable formats containing chemically recycled polypropylene (rPP) and renewable-based PP were launched in record time in the course of 2022. The successful launches underscore the efficiency of value chain collaboration in the spirit of EverMinds™, the Borealis platform created to accelerate action on plastics circularity.

Brand owners and converters are keen to find ways to reduce their carbon footprint by enhancing the sustainability of their packaging. At the same time, ensuring the safety of food-contact packaging is crucial. Grades in the Borcycle C portfolio guarantee the high purity and safety required for food-contact applications because they are gained through the chemical recycling process, which turns plastic waste which is difficult to recycle back into virgin-grade materials. Grades in the Bornewables portfolio are composed of renewably-sourced feedstocks derived from residue and vegetable waste streams.

Because both Borcycle C and Bornewables grades are composed of ISCC PLUS-certified (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification) sustainable feedstock produced in accordance with the mass balance method, using them enables manufacturers and brand owners to reduce the CO2 footprint of their packaging formats. As these grades are virgin-grade resins offering the same high purity and performance as polyolefins made using fossil fuel-based feedstocks, they offer the added bonus of not requiring grade revalidation, because they can be used as drop-in solutions.

“As packaging pioneers, ITC has always been at the forefront of innovation. Our long-term strategic partnership with Borealis has enabled us to consolidate our position as sustainability trailblazers in the European rigid packaging industry,” says Jose Luis Olmedo, ITC Packaging Managing Director. “Our ultimate aim is to maintain high food safety standards while implementing an added-value circular economy model that meets market demands. This is what strengthens our relationships to both our customers and value chain partners.”

“Working together with ITC in the spirit of EverMinds has allowed us to identify and implement the ideal technologies and material solutions for making rigid PP packaging food-contact compliant yet more circular,” says Peter Voortmans, Borealis Global Commercial Director Consumer Products. “Building on the success story with Bornewables and Borcycle C, Borealis and ITC are now exploring the use of mechanically recycled compounds from the Borcycle™ M portfolio to further reduce the carbon footprint of ITC’s non-food packaging. This is how we advance value chain collaboration to close the loop on plastics circularity and at the same time underline how we manage to re-invent essentials for sustainable living.”