ITC is involved in the MERLIN project, focused on technological advancements in the recycling of multilayer packaging.
Sustainability 6 de November de 2024The MERLIN project is funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme. The final conference will take place on November 27, 2024, at the ITENE Research Center in Valencia, Spain, under the title: “From Smart Collection to Innovative Valorization.” During this event, the project’s results and technological advancements in the recycling of multilayer plastic packaging will be presented.
Multilayer packaging, often based on PET and polyolefins, presents significant challenges for recycling due to its complex structure. MERLIN has focused on the development of cost-effective, high-performance solutions for sorting, delaminating, and recycling this material. The final conference will serve as a platform to showcase these innovations, which aim to align with the EU regulatory framework on plastic waste management and support the transition to circular economy practices.
ITC’s role in this project is to lead a work package, titled: “Development of the VALIDATION of demonstrators of packaging based on recycled PET and polyolefins.” This task involves the manufacture of packaging using recycled materials derived from the delamination of multilayer packaging, focusing on four key tasks:
- Development of rigid packaging (injected PE packaging, PET bottles, thermoformed single-layer PET trays, and PE/PET multilayer packaging) → Task developed by ITC and ITENE.
- Development of flexible packaging (laminated PE/PET films) → This task was developed by ITENE and ICIMENDUE.
- Risk assessment in food contact applications → Task developed by ITENE.
- Circularity of the MERLIN process → Task developed by ITENE.
