At the upcoming Pack Expo, packaging specialists are highlighting the critical role of design-for-recycling in thermoformed packaging. Industry innovators are championing the transition toward monomaterial structures and increased post-consumer recycled (PCR) content, particularly in PET thermoforms, to meet escalating global sustainability targets.
Thermoformed packaging, such as trays, tubs, and clamshells, has historically presented recycling challenges compared to rigid bottles. As regulatory pressures mount in both the UK and Europe, the focus is shifting from merely downcycling these materials to establishing true closed-loop systems. Achieving this requires converters to design packaging with end-of-life processing in mind—minimising complex multi-layer laminates, choosing compatible adhesives, and ensuring wash-off labels are utilised.
For UK waste management firms and Turkish recyclers, this shift is highly significant. Turkish recyclers, who rely heavily on imported polymer waste from the UK and Europe to produce high-quality rPET, face ongoing challenges with contamination from poorly designed thermoforms. As converters adopt stricter design-for-recycling principles, the quality of incoming baled waste will improve. This reduces sorting costs and processing losses at Turkish wash plants, ultimately yielding higher-quality rPET flakes that can be sold back into food-contact or high-grade packaging applications.
As a practical takeaway, UK packaging converters must proactively audit their thermoform portfolios against European design-for-recycling guidelines, such as RecyClass. Transitioning to monomaterials now will secure future market access and ensure their products remain compatible with the evolving sorting and recycling infrastructure in both the UK and Türkiye.
