Amcor says it is enhancing its closed-loop recycled paint container initiative with an improved cleaning system for emptied paint cans, developed in partnership with waste paint re-engineering specialist Paint360.
The initiative aims to provide a way for finished paint cans to be recycled once the bulk of the residual paint has been removed, to be used for new paint. The recycled plastic is then incorporated into the manufacture of new paint cans.
A critical part of the project is effectively removing the small amount of paint that remains in the containers before they are reprocessed. Paint360 has reportedly developed a new system that replaces the more traditional washing method, minimizing any potential environmental impact of this part of the process.
The cleaned and shredded plastic material is reprocessed at the Amcor Circular Polymers facility in Leamington Spa, UK, and the paint containers incorporating the recycled material manufactured at Amcor’s Oakham, UK factory.
“This project is helping to achieve circularity for one of the hardest-to-recycle packs, turning waste paint and used containers into new paint and new packaging,” said Mark Roberts, Amcor’s director of materials innovation. “With this advanced cleaning system in place, we are able to achieve a consistently higher standard of recycled plastic.”
The closed-loop project is also being supported by the British Coating Federation’s PaintCare programme, which seeks to create a circular economy for leftover decorative paint in the UK, increasing the re-use or re-manufacture rate to 75% by 2031.
In related news, Amcor helped Flügger implement 50% post-consumer recycled plastic into its paint containers, aiming to cut down on virgin plastic without impacting pack quality or user experience. The new design also sought to align with voluntary labelling schemes like the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.
Last month, Henkel worked with Pirlo and Thyssenkrupp Rasselstein to use tinplate cans made with CO2-reduced steel for contact adhesive products – a move set to reduce emissions by 62% compared to conventional tin cans. The cans are made from Thyssenkrupp Rasselstein’s Bluemint steel, manufactured using specially processed steel scrap in a blast furnace in a partial substitution of CO2-intensive raw material.
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