Swiss dairy company Emmi is partnering with Borealis and Greiner Packaging to produce Emmi CAFFÈ LATTE drinking cups made from chemically recycled polypropylene.
The cups themselves are produced by Greiner Packaging and the chemically recycled material comes from Borealis, a provider of advanced and circular polyolefin solutions based in Vienna, Austria.
From September 2021, Emmi's brand of chilled coffee drinks, Emmi CAFFÈ LATTE, plans to use at least 100 tonnes of this each year.
In the future, depending on the availability of suitable material, the amount of recycled plastic in Emmi CAFFÈ LATTE packaging is set to be further increased.
The new technology that recovers the polypropylene is currently still in its infancy, with Greiner Packaging and Borealis saying that they are leading the way.
Only limited quantities of chemically recycled polypropylene are currently available, and Emmi is one of only a few food manufacturers to have secured a share of the plastic through its early commitment and long-standing collaboration with the development companies.
"It takes joint efforts by food and packaging manufacturers to reduce waste and make measurable progress in the circular economy,” says Bendicht Zaugg, who is responsible for sustainable packaging at Emmi.
“We have had a long and rewarding partnership with both Emmi and Borealis,” adds Greiner Packaging key account manager, Vincenzo Crescenza. “This achievement is in line with our stated goal to work towards achieving a circular economy. Our strategy is to develop innovative products, develop new service partnerships and business models, and pioneer materials partnerships.”
“Borealis looks forward to a world without plastic waste,” says Trevor Davis, head of marketing, consumer products at Borealis. “The chemically recycled polypropylene used in this new Emmi CAFFÈ LATTE cup is manufactured with Borealis Borcycle C portfolio of transformational chemical recycling solutions, giving polyolefin-based, post-consumer waste another life.
“It offers all-round benefits enabling the transition to a circular polyolefin industry whilst creating virgin quality plastic products.”
The chemically recycled material used for the Emmi CAFFÈ LATTE cup consists entirely of ISCC (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification) material, on a mass balance basis.
