Sustainability of Flexible Plastic Packaging for Instant Coffee: Evaluation of Environmental Impact and Recyclability
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Keywords:
instant coffee, recycling, Life Cycle Thinking, sustainable packaging, multilayer packagingAbstract
In Brazil instant coffees are widely marketed in stand-up pouch based on PET(polyethylene terephthalate)/Al(aluminum)foil/LDPE(low-density polyethylene). Aluminum foil is an efficient moisture barrier layer. However, the post-consumer flexible packaging usually causes environmental problems due to the difficulty of materials separation and incompatibility in the recycling lines. The aim of this study was to evaluate the barrier properties, water vapor and oxygen transmission rate (WVTR/OTR) and recyclability potential of the alternative materials for packing instant coffees: (1)LDPE/HDPE(high-density polyethylene)/LDPE, (2)BOPP(bioriented polypropylene)/BOPPmet(metallized)/PP, (3)PET/PETmet/LDPE and (4)PET/BOPPmet/LDPE. WVTR of the materials was up to 0.37g of water m-2 day-1 (25°C/75%RH) and OTR was up to 3.95mL (NTP) m-2 day-1 indicating they can guarantee the shelf-life of the product with high market turnover. Recycling tests showed that only (1) is compatible with PE recycling lines. Recycled films from (3) and (4) showed increase in some important mechanical properties. (1) and (4) showed the highest reductions of environmental aspects evaluated.
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