Pellenc renews emphasis on 'design for recycling'

Stating “Design for Recycling is emerging as one of the key solutions” to boosting recycling rates, France-based equipment and technology provider Pellenc ST says it is creating a dedicated Design for Recycling unit in 2021.

“Companies know that they need to rethink their manufacturing processes to reduce their environmental impact,” the firm states. These issues have become a central concern in their new product design strategies, as well as in the eyes of consumers.”

Referring to itself as a supplier of intelligent sorting solutions for materials processing, Pellenc says it works closely with recycling deposit-return scheme operators, brand owners, and designers of packaging, coloring agents and additives around the world.

“To accelerate the development of the circular economy and further support those partners, Pellenc ST is innovating and creating a dedicated Design for Recycling unit in 2021,” states the company. “The role of that unit is to meet the specific needs of packaging producers. The team helps such producers develop test protocols and shares its business expertise through diagnostics and recommendations for improvements.”

The Pellenc ST Test Center will be available to “validate the ‘sortability’ of [proposed] packaging in the real-life conditions of a material recovery facility (MRF),” states the company. “This approach allows Pellenc ST to stay abreast of market developments, anticipate the arrival of new materials, and take those materials into account in its technological roadmap.”

As an example, Pellenc says it was involved from the outset in validating the sortability of dark packaging without carbon black, conducting tests at the Test Center that were incorporated into subsequent approval protocols for black packaging.

The company also says it is developing close partnerships with technical centers and research laboratories specializing in each of the major materials sectors. “That collaboration makes it possible to carry out recyclability tests and provide packaging manufacturers with a general overview of the end-of-life of their products,” states Pellenc.