Packaging Waste : TOMRA helps Henkel optimise packaging for recycling
In the future, the test sorting system will clarify whether the packaging has the right properties to allow it to be sorted properly and recycled in a second step.
- © TOMRATOMRA Recycling, a leading manufacturer of sensor-based sorting technology, and Henkel, a global player in the consumer goods and adhesives industries, have joined forces to further improve the sortability of packaging. The manufacturer of globally recognised brands such as Schwarzkopf, Persil and Pritt has installed one of TOMRA's detection systems in its test laboratory. It will be used to test packaging before it is launched on the market to see if it has the right properties for easy sorting and recycling after disposal.
Dr. Volker Rehrmann, EVP and Head of TOMRA Recycling: "Sorting is an essential step in ensuring that packaging can be recycled instead of ending up in incineration plants. At TOMRA, we know how product packaging needs to be designed so that modern sorting technologies can recognize it clearly, and we have made it our mission to share this knowledge. A functioning circular economy is only possible if everyone involved in the value chain works together. That’s why collaborations like the one with Henkel are so important."
Valerio Sama, Market Strategy Manager – Packaging at TOMRA Recycling, presented the AUTOSORT™-Scanner to Henkel employees
- © TOMRA“Design for Recycling”
The test system at Henkel's Düsseldorf site is TOMRA's AUTOSORT™, a multi-functional sorting solution that has been on the market for almost 30 years. The scanner is equipped with a near infrared and a VIS sensor. With this sensor combination, the device not only detects the product material type, such as plastics like PP, PET, HDPE or paper, but also the colour of the packaging, which can be decisive for sortability. The AUTOSORT™ from the market leader in sensor-based sorting has been installed in around 100 countries worldwide and enables Henkel to quickly and efficiently achieve results that correspond to those of real industrial plants.
Alba Santmarti, Packaging Sustainability Manager at Henkel Consumer Brands, adds: "Design for Recycling is an integral part of the product development process at Henkel. We invest in our in-house capacities to check the sortability of our consumer goods packaging at an early stage. This is the only way to recycle valuable materials in subsequent steps and close material cycles."