The TRUCE project (“True Recycling Upscaling of Flexible Packaging in the Plastics Circular Economy”) is a collaborative research & development initiative that brings together key innovative players in the packaging value chain to develop new building blocks for the creation of highly functional, flexible packaging solutions as well as a lean recyclability protocol.
Along with Amcor, Borealis, Eastman, Puratos, Ghent University, and lead by clusters Catalisti and Flanders’ Food; Bostik will be contributing to the project by creating smart adhesive solutions in line with the new innovative packaging designs and will improve recyclability at both small and larger scale.
The main goal of the TRUCE project is to develop new highly functional, flexible packaging solutions that can be combined into fully recyclable mono-polyethylene (≥95% PE) structures. The first application testing will be performed at Puratos and will result in a proof of concept for these new recyclable flexible packaging structures. Finally, Ghent University will also perform the life cycle assessment (LCA) study of the innovative packaging designs.
The project also seeks to develop a robust and targeted recyclability protocol, lean and representative for the targeted recycling stream. This will allow the project partners to do fact-based analyses of the improved recyclability of the newly developed structures at state-of-the-art recycling facilities. The protocol could align and integrate with existing evaluation systems, to bring the best of both worlds to industrial application and accelerate the implementation of recycling-ready structures into the market.
By involving a wide range of industrial partners throughout the value chain, the TRUCE project enables the testing of the developed structures on dedicated packaging lines at industrial scale, taking a critical step towards product testing in an operational environment and assuring functionality of the packaging towards the shelf-life performance of the packaged good. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) will help quantify the environmental sustainability performance of the new innovative packaging designs in particular applications. The results to be obtained by this project will represent yet another important step towards a truly circular economy.
The TRUCE project, was launched in January 2021, and will run for 2 years. It is financed through Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO), with a total budget of 2.3 million euro.