Development of a varnish with functional capsules for delamination and the use of biobased solvents for de-inking, enabling the recycling of multilayer flexible packaging that currently ends up in landfills.
The aim is to implement a sustainable delamination and de-inking process that achieves yields above 70%, enabling the effective recycling of the polypropylene contained in monomaterial multilayer flexible packaging.
The company IFLEX Flexible Packaging, in collaboration with the technological centre Leitat and the Packaging Cluster, is promoting the DesLamTin project, a pioneering initiative that seeks to transform the management of flexible packaging waste through ecodesign. The project is supported by the Agència de Residus de Catalunya (ARC) under the 2024 call for projects promoting the circular economy, within Class B of Ecodesign.
Currently, a large share of multilayer flexible packaging ends up in landfills or is incinerated due to the technical impossibility of separating its layers or removing printing inks, which significantly limits its recyclability. In Spain, the annual market for this type of packaging is estimated at 306,667 tonnes, representing a major environmental challenge due to its dependence on fossil resources and its high CO₂ emissions.
The DesLamTin project aims to develop an efficient and sustainable process for the delamination of multilayer flexible packaging. In order to improve the recyclability of the layers obtained after delamination, an innovative and more sustainable de-inking process will also be developed and applied, based on lower energy consumption and the use of more environmentally friendly solvents.
These delamination and de-inking processes will make it possible to recover high-quality materials from monomaterial multilayer flexible packaging, thus reducing dependence on virgin raw materials derived from petroleum and lowering the environmental impact of the packaging industry.
With a total budget of €79,983.85, the project plans to implement a sustainable delamination and de-inking process achieving yields above 70%, enabling the effective recycling of the polypropylene contained in monomaterial multilayer flexible packaging. In Catalonia alone, this could represent a potential impact of 16,671 tonnes of waste diverted from landfills.
Furthermore, the implementation of this ecodesign measure is expected to reduce the carbon footprint of the film by between 30% and 40% compared to current linear production models.
