In this edition of the Spotlight, RDM Group explains how its PE-coated recyclable cartonboard solutions can help reduce plastic waste, fossil fuel consumption and carbon emissions.
Plastic use in packaging is a challenge for the recycling industry with not enough being recycled. But at RDM Group we believe that with the right design and the right methods, plastic has a role to play in delivering a range of sustainable products to consumers in the form of paper-based, plastic-coated cartonboard.
At RDM Group, we are committed to driving circularity though fibre-based packaging solutions. As a leading producer of recycled cartonboard, we work every day to reduce the environmental impact of packaging, without compromising performance.
But we also know that for some products, plastic is still the only viable material available today for the level of protection and functional barriers it provides. It keeps food fresh, degradable materials dry, and prevents chemical contamination. It stops moisture escaping from packages or getting into packages. It is both durable and protective and can be shaped under pressure and heat to form countless variations, shapes, and types.
Yet the very durability of plastic – and one of the most common forms today is polyethylene (PE) – is a double-edged sword, because plastic products that are commonly discarded, such as packaging, do not readily degrade. If not managed properly, they don’t get recycled and often end up in the environment, as landfill, litter, or ocean waste, and much of this waste turns into the damaging microplastics that are now present throughout the biosphere.
Meanwhile, the search for future alternatives, such as bio-derived and biodegradable polymers, is underway but remains challenging. Currently, these options do not offer same level of efficiency at the price and availability of plastic. In addition, solutions that inherently have degradation in their DNA are vulnerable in terms of their stability and impermeability, while still aiming to protect the product.
A practical solution: Multiboard® Barrier
At RDM Group, we believe that PE-coated fibre-based recycled cartonboard goes a long way to meeting the needs of producers and consumers while reducing the global problem of excessive plastic waste. We produce a PE-coated version of Multiboard®, our high quality, 100% recycled white-lined chipboard, known for its high stiffness parameters and excellent processability. This PE-coated version is called Multiboard® Barrier.
Typical uses of PE-coated boards are hygroscopic (moisture sensitive) products such as powders and dry products that have to remain dry. Other uses include frozen food, like frozen fish or cakes, and pet food boxes, among other applications. As both a producer and recycler of PE-coated recycled cartonboard for packaging in the shape of Multiboard® Barrier, we understand the full picture of packaging issues, and our ability to recycle and manufacture in house drives efficiencies and sustainability indicators.
Our own paper-based products minimise the plastic content of high-performance packaging – the PE layer in our board can be as thin as 3-5% in overall structure, depending on the selected grammage of the board and coating itself. Thermoplastics (such as PE) also have another important quality which is heat sealability. This means they can be used as a “hot glue” giving them an advantage over non-heat sealable alternative barrier coating solutions that require adhesive-based lamination, introducing a contaminant that makes recycling difficult.
We also know what is recyclable and understand the technical facts behind recycling papers with different kinds of contaminations and impurities. We are certified in line with the recognised industry standards.
When we receive PE-coated cartonboard among our raw materials, we are able to separate the thin PE coating from the board and send it for recovery, diverting it from landfills. Our 2024 sustainability figures show that waste sent for recovery is nearing our long-term goal of 90%. Our preferred end of life for our pulper rejects (the waste caught up in recycled materials) is waste to energy plants. We are exploring future technologies for the recycling of plastics.
Rethinking the fundamentals
The Multiboard® Barrier cartonboard that we manufacture in our Fiskeby mill in Sweden is a product that has many of the key benefits of plastic but is more likely to end up in waste streams that will lead to recycling. PE coated with 100% recycled fibres, it is fully recyclable and can be collected and recycled in the same way as other paper-based products, and with a recycling rate of 83% that’s more than twice the rate of packaging made entirely from plastic.
There are additional advantages. By minimising the plastic fraction of the packaging, we are reducing fossil fuel consumption and carbon emissions (in part because this packaging is lighter than most viable alternatives, thereby cutting handling costs). And by both recycling and manufacturing in-house, the Group can control the full life cycle of the product with environmental requirements as a priority.
This is how PE-coated recycled cartonboard can improve our current levels of plastic waste, but we also recognise that no present-day solution goes all the way to meeting the challenge. It is vital to pursue the research and development that will eventually take us closer to ending plastic waste.
But while such innovations are awaited, it is vital to be realistic about what we can do in the real world now. One thing is clear: we can change the conversation to recognise that our challenge is not plastic, but waste. Waste is real and our efforts to reduce it can be just as real.
This content was sponsored by RDM Group.
