UFlex introduces recycled packaging solutions for food-grade applications

UFlex is actively spearheading India’s transition to a circular economy, introducing groundbreaking solutions to integrate recycled plastic into food-grade packaging, as articulated by Ashish Saxena, joint president of packaging films and PET resin business, at the second edition of the Plastics Recycling Show India.

The company's innovative FSSAI-compliant single-pellet solution is designed to seamlessly blend consumer-recycled PET (rPET) with virgin PET, directly addressing the core industry issues of inconsistent processability and compromised appearance typically associated with mechanically recycled resin.

Saxena explained that by creating a uniform granule, the single pellet ensures superior material consistency, better colour performance (L-values), and lower acetaldehyde content, a critical marker for taste, in rigid packaging like beverage bottles. This not only meets the aesthetic demands of brands but also eliminates the need for manufacturers to retrofit their equipment, enabling an immediate transition to mandated recycled content. The solution is a synergistic output of UFlex’s virgin PET production and its recycling division, which holds FSSAI food-grade approval.

Extending its commitment beyond rPET, UFlex is confronting the perennial challenge of multi-layer plastic (MLP) and flexible packaging waste with its compact recycling solution, the ReLAM-250. This machine is engineered to process a wide variety of mixed plastic feedstocks, including polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and PET, which are notoriously difficult to collect and transport, converting them into a versatile granulated product. The ReLAM-250 has an output capacity of 250 kg/hr and features a six-section control system with electrical heating and forced wind cooling, positioning it as an efficient, modular solution.

This capacity is strategically scaled for a decentralised recycling model, allowing small recyclers to deploy the machine locally wherever flexible packaging waste is available, thereby converting otherwise unrecyclable material into valuable items like furniture and paver tiles, directly fulfilling the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) mandate for 100% waste collection and recycling.

Acknowledging that current FSSAI guidelines primarily approve rPET, Saxena proudly noted that UFlex is the only company in India to have developed concepts and secured US FDA approval for food-grade mechanically recycled polypropylene (rPP) and polyethylene (rPE), with FSSAI approval currently in process.

This breakthrough specifically targets essential Indian packaging streams, such as the ubiquitous milk pouches (PE), demonstrating a vital hyper-local approach to a global challenge.

While the long-term goal is absolute circularity, the company also views biodegradability as a necessary ‘backstop’ for the smallest, most difficult-to-collect sachets, ensuring every piece of packaging has a responsible end-of-life solution. Ultimately, Saxena concluded that while technology and corporate investment are effectively responding to regulatory mandates, like the significant capacity being added in PET recycling to meet the 60% recycled content target by 2028, the success of the circular economy hinges on a coordinated effort between policymakers, industry, and civil society to implement effective policy enforcement and create the right economic incentives for the collection of low-value, bulky, flexible packaging waste.