The Arnott’s Group, Paco Industries and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) will collaborate on a research program to progress technologies in recycling, bio plastics and carbon capture, addressing plastic packaging challenges facing the food and beverage industry.
The collaboration, backed by FP Paradigm and Future Food System, will use the UNSW Chemical Engineering department to address the challenges associated with post-consumer plastic waste and re-use of PET packaging. The partnership also includes support from Tacca Plastics and Pablo & Rusty’s Coffee.
Paco is currently developing an approach focusing on organic solvent technology for recycling. Paco’s technology is based on using organic solvents that can isolate PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and has the potential to turn contaminated post-consumer PET waste back into food-grade PET for the food and beverage industry.
PET is one of the world's most commonly used plastics with 10.2 per cent of all plastics being made from PET and roughly a third of all PET packaging used for packaging for food and drink around the world.
Paco’s solvent can break down the plastic into its primary chemical chain and be purified into a high-purity ‘virgin-like’ material, creating an ongoing recycling solution.
Paco’s solution could assist primary challenges for local recycling companies and municipal councils, such as the level of contamination on plastic making it harder to recycle without being thoroughly cleaned.
The solvent technology is designed to eliminate contaminants such as organic material stuck to plastic food trays, soft drink bottles or other materials and contributes to the circular economy by reducing the need for virgin material production.
The process can transform many forms of waste plastic into their respective polymer nanoparticles dispersed in water which can then either be extracted for re-use in preparing new consumer products, or utilised still in the aqueous dispersion in applications such as asphalting and waterproof coatings.
The technique also removes dyes from the original plastic waste, which currently requires separate treatment, thus reducing the time and cost of recycling and expanding the waste source.
Paco head of commercial, Steven Commerford, said the results of the project to date were ‘incredibly exciting’ for both sustainability and commercial gains.
“We’re focused on creating real solutions that don’t come with caveats. We’re crafting solutions that are genuinely transformative, without the usual limitations of high costs, energy, and water usage, or short-term viability. This technology could revolutionise our approach to recycling and redefine the materials we consider recyclable,” said Commerford.
Arnott’s Group chief transformation officer Simon Lowden said Arnott’s aimed to go beyond its sustainability commitments with the collaboration.
“Working with Paco Industries and UNSW reflects our commitment to find innovative solutions so that we can continue to deliver results, not just for our consumers, but for our value chain” said Lowden.
The partnership supports Arnott’s commitment to having 100 per cent of its packaging made from materials that are capable of being recycled. Currently, 98 per cent (by weight) and 85 per cent (by SKU) of packaging used by its Australian operations is reusable, recyclable or compostable. In 2023, it reported eliminating 500+ tonnes of packaging from its products. The group has also transitioned 86 per cent of its Australian biscuit packaging from multi-material to highly recyclable mono-material.
The UNSW researchers say their new method – which can be used on a wide range of common materials such as bags, bottles made from polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and PET – has the potential to significantly reduce the degradation of the plastic (polymers) during recycling.
