From November 4 to 12, Aachen, Darmstadt, Dresden, and Nuremberg—will host the “Open Hub Days,” an event series dedicated to exploring AI innovations in plastic packaging recycling. This initiative, featuring key project partners, aims to introduce the Hub’s focus on Artificial Intelligence and the Circular Economy to a broad audience. SÜDPACK is among the participants, showcasing its commitment to advancing the transformation of the plastics and packaging industry.
The two innovation labs, “KiOptiPack for Design and Production” and “K3I-Cycling for Material Recycling,” are working hand in hand. Their shared goal is to exchange data across laboratories in order to develop and apply a thorough understanding, from the design of plastic packaging to its re-entry into the recycling loop.
Increasing the recycled content in films and compounds during film production
SÜDPACK has prioritized its development work for some time.
“We can contribute our comprehensive development expertise in sustainable film solutions, as well as our know-how in compounding,” emphasize the experts at SÜDPACK.
They are actively involved in the project and will also be present on November 12 at the Open Hub Days in Dresden. At the event, the partners of the KiOptiPack innovation lab will present their latest research on packaging development using recycled plastics.
According to the organizers, visitors will learn through live demonstrations “how the packaging development process can be significantly optimized by integrating data from material production, testing, processing, recyclability assessments, and eco-balancing – through the establishment and use of a shared industrial data space – and what ground-breaking business models could emerge from this.”
Questions, insights, and their impacts
For the 51 participating partners, a major focus is improving material recycling. They aim to address post-consumer plastic waste. Studies will investigate recycled content in PP-based multilayer films. Researchers will assess how this content affects product properties. They will also examine its impact on processing and manufacturing procedures. But why focus on polypropylene? Like PE, PP is a preferred polymer in packaging applications. Its use in mono-material composites reduces the complexity of the packaging, making recycling possible. In terms of reducing plastic waste or ensuring it is more efficiently recycled, PP packaging is a promising solution.
SÜDPACK has long actively worked to increase the use of post-industrial and post-consumer recyclates in film production. This effort is especially relevant in light of the upcoming PPWR. The film manufacturer laid the foundations for a circular economy early on. It established its own competence center for regranulation and compounding. SÜDPACK is also involved in the pioneering carboliq direct pyrolysis process.
SÜDPACK summarizes its expectations for this ambitious project as follows: “With the help of AI modeling tools and insights gained via the AI Hub, we will be able to strategically combine various recyclate sources in the future to achieve the required product properties.”
They will significantly improve the predictability and reproducibility of compound formulations. Additionally, SÜDPACK hopes to gain fresh insights in terms of stabilizing production and optimizing processing through the material analysis methods explored in the course of the project. This should also speed up the implementation of packaging regulations related to the use of recyclates.
Key discussions will revolve around enhancing the material recycling of post-consumer plastic waste and AI innovations in Plastic Packaging. One focus will be on polypropylene (PP), a widely used polymer in packaging known for its potential in mono-material composites. SÜDPACK has long actively increased the use of post-industrial and post-consumer recycled materials in film production. The film manufacturer laid the foundations for a circular economy early on by establishing its competence center for re-granulation and compounding, and through its involvement in the pioneering carboliq direct pyrolysis process. The company expects that AI modeling tools and insights from the AI Hub will enable the strategic combination of different recyclate sources that meet product specifications.