Verstraete IML’s Interactive IML and SealPPeel shortlisted for plastics recycling award

The ‘Product Technology Innovation of the Year’ category rewards technologies which improve recyclable plastic products or incorporate recycled materials in product production. 

Packaging that talks

Both Interactive IML and SealPPeel by Verstraete IML are said to contribute to improving plastic recycling.    

Interactive IML is an IML label that is printed with an invisible digital watermark, enabling brands to engage with the consumer.

“Consumer education is key to ensure optimal collection and recycling of plastic packaging waste,” ​said Nico Van de Walle, product & Circular Economy manager, Verstraete IML.​ ​

“What if the package itself talks to the consumer and explains how to deal with it? With Interactive IML this is no longer science fiction. It brings information on sorting plastic as close to the consumer as possible. On top of that, Interactive IML is HolyGrail2.0 compatible, enabling intelligent sorting.”​ 

In mould labelling contributes to environment protection: the packaging and the label are made of the same material, forming a mono packaging that can be fully recycled. 

Van de Walle added, by constantly re-thinking existing IML technologies and possibilities, the company takes a foothold in sustainability and this goes beyond IML. 

SealPPeel, the second entry for the Plastic Recycling Awards Europe, ensures the complete package is sorted and recycled thanks to its mono polypropylene die-cut lidding, which replaces existing aluminium lidding. This means consumers do not need to separate the tub and lid for recycling. ​

Plastics recycling professionals

The Plastics Recycling Show Europe is the annual exhibition and conference for plastics recycling professionals. It brings together people from the plastics and recycling sectors to learn, network and capitalise on the business opportunities plastic recycling offers. 

The annual event is organised by Crain Communications and Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE) and next takes place at RAI, Amsterdam in the Netherlands from March 25-26. 

PRE is an organisation representing the voice of the European plastics recyclers who reprocess plastic waste into high quality material destined for production of new articles. Recyclers are important facilitators of the circularity of plastics and the transition towards the circular economy. Plastics recycling in Europe is a rapidly growing sector representing €3bn in turnover, 6.6 mt of installed recycling capacity, 500 companies and 18,000 employees. 

Last year’s winner of the Product Technology Innovation of the Year was Ampacet’s carbon black-free masterbatch range REC-NIR-BLACK. 

Carbon black packaging waste (trays, clamshells) causes problems in recycling streams because it cannot be detected by the NIR (near-infrared) sensors used by most recyclers. 

Ampacet Corp has developed black masterbatches that contain no carbon black pigment, rendering them NIR transparent, meaning they are detectable and able to be sorted. 

Click here​ to see a list of all the shortlisted candidates for the Plastics Recycling Awards Europe 2020.