High-quality packaging from the chemical recycling of plastic waste

sustainable packaging specifically for the fresh produce sector

BASF SE and StePac Ltd. are working together to develop the next generation of sustainable packaging specifically for the fresh produce sector. Through Ultramid® Ccycled™, a chemically recycled polyamide 6, BASF is offering its partner StePac new opportunities in converting contact-sensitive packaging formats to higher sustainability standards in a circular economy.

Certified mass balanced materials

StePac specializes in the development of functional packaging solutions and uses chemically recycled plastics for the packaging of fresh, perishable food products. The company was recently certified to the REDcert2 standard for the use of chemically recycled polyamide 6 in its modified atmosphere packaging (MAP).

Using chemical recycling to create a circular economy for plastics

With our ChemCycling®: project, we are concentrating on partnerships for chemical recycling with a focus on pyrolysis technology. This technology is used to extract a secondary raw material, pyrolysis oil, from plastic waste or used tires. We feed this oil into BASF’s Verbund production at the beginning of the value chain, which saves fossil resources. Using a mass balance approach audited by independent auditors, the proportion of recycled raw material is allocated to selected products manufactured in the Verbund.

High-quality recycled materials

These mass-balanced Ccycled® products are independently certified and have exactly the same properties as conventional products. Customers can process them in the same way and use them in demanding applications. ChemCycling® focuses on plastic waste that cannot be mechanically recycled for technological, economic or ecological reasons. Examples include contaminated plastics, waste fractions from different types of plastic that are not further sorted or used tires that are not recycled in any other way. Together, mechanical and chemical recycling can increase recycling rates and contribute to a more circular economy for plastics.