PANEL: Getting Metallized PE Films Recycle Ready for 2025

Dante Ferrari, Celplast Metallized Products Limited

Over the past several years, as flexible packaging and store drop-off has grown as a percentage of the total plastics recycling stream, the standards and guidelines for what packages are considered recyclable has had to evolve.  The Association of Plastics Recyclers, through its PE Film Design Guide, is the leading organization that sets these standards.  With the collaboration of several stakeholders on the APR Films Committee and Metallized Film Working Group, including recycling equipment suppliers, film suppliers, metallizers and brand owners, a series of metal detection and extrusion testing was carried out to show how recyclable metallized PE films actually are.  This industry-wide initiative culminated with the changing of the Metal Sortation protocol, allowing most metallized PE film package structures to be considered APR Design Guide Preferred.