Solvay announces solution for recycling PVDC

Food packaging company Solvay has announced a proof of concept that shows that polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) has the potential to be recycled.

PVDC is used in food, beverage, dairy and healthcare multilayer barrier packaging. 

The proof of concept involves a process to recycle Ixan PVDC “from a post-industrial waste source from food packaging without compromising the performance of the high-barrier polymer”.

Claire Guerrero, global marketing manager for packaging segment and sustainability at Solvay, said: “The proof of concept developed by our research team is a solution for PVDC packaging circularity. It shows there is a possibility to reintegrate the recycled polymer into future applications, meaning it can be re-used and re-blended with virgin materials – without losing or degrading its high-barrier properties.”

Solvay says that it urges fellow competitors which operate within the plastics sector to work together to turn the recycling of PVDC into a reality.