The initiative uses advanced technology to sort food-grade polypropylene (PP) from post-consumer waste and then decontaminated the polymer to meet food-grade standards
TotalEnergies joins NEXTLOOPP to create a food-grade recycled polymer. (Credit: Kevin Lehtla on Unsplash)
French petroleum company TotalEnergies has joined the NEXTLOOPP project to create food-grade recycled polymer from advanced mechanical recycling.
Launched in October 2020 by Nextek, NEXTLOOPP aims to establish a circular economy by bringing together 48 firms from the plastics value chain.
The project intends to manufacture recycled polypropylene suitable for food-grade applications and made from post-consumer packaging material.
According to TotalEnergies, the initiative uses advanced technology to sort food-grade polypropylene (PP) from post-consumer waste rapidly and economically. The polymer is then decontaminated to meet strict food-grade standards.
NEXTLOOPP recently finished major research on background contamination of post-consumer PP packaging for its submissions to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the UK Food Standards Agency (UK FSA).
TotalEnergies Polymers senior vice president Nathalie Brunelle said: “We are delighted to join and support the NEXTLOOPP project, alongside other major industry players.
“This initiative will allow us to go one step further in developing technologies to produce food-grade recycled material from advanced mechanical recycling and broaden our options for projects that contribute to our ambition to produce 30% circular polymers by 2030.”
TotalEnergies aims to develop a plastics circular economy and meet the rising customer demand for premium recycled polymers.
The French petroleum company will take advantage of the technological alliance to expedite the feasibility review of advanced mechanical recycling projects and expand its recently introduced RE: use polymers range, which contains mechanically recycled raw materials.
Nextek founder and CEO Edward Kosior said: “The whole of the NEXTLOOPP project is strengthened by TotalEnergies’ adding to the programme their extensive technical capabilities in creating circular solutions for PP resins.
“They contribute to the growing body of expertise in controlling the properties and formulation of their range of both virgin and recycled PP for a myriad of applications.”