The UK Government issued an important update on the 30th October 2024 which has positive consequences for all Flexible Packaging manufacturers looking to increase their use of BOPP recycled films.
Under the terms of the initial legislation any recycled resin used to make recycled films or part recycled films could not include any element of Mass Balanced supply.
However, in the paper issued on the 30th October the Government has now accepted the principle of Mass Balanced recycled resin in plastic films. Which opens up 1000’s of tonnes of new recycled BOPP film capacity. The availability of recycled content BOPP has been far more limited than PET. But this new acceptance of Mass Balanced supply has opened up more capacity in PCR BOPP and interestingly bio-based BOPP recycled content film.
What is Mass Balance, here is a very simple description:
A mass balance scheme for plastic resins is like a bookkeeping system for recycled and new plastic materials.
Here’s how it works:
Mixing Recycled and New Materials: Imagine a factory where they mix recycled plastic and new plastic together to make products. Because they’re mixed, it’s hard to say exactly which items are made from recycled materials and which aren’t.
Tracking Proportion: Instead of separating every bit, the factory tracks the amount of recycled and new plastic they use. For example, if 40% of the plastic going in is recycled, they record that 40% of the output should be considered "recycled."
Certifying Products: They can then label some of their products as containing recycled plastic according to this 40% ratio, even if you can’t physically tell which exact items have it.
In this way, the mass balance approach helps companies meet recycled content requirements without needing to keep recycled and new plastic completely separate. It’s a practical way to increase recycled plastic use in production.
NUFFP are delighted to announce that we have been able to predict this change in direction from the Government and we have secured a supply partnership with a film manufacturer that supplies Mass Balanced recycled films using a Mass Balanced accreditation scheme called ISCC (click for more info). To read more about the ISCC BOPP PCR and Bio-Based Recycled Films we are able to supply, please visit this page in our website for more information.
To read the full Government Report please click here.