Food and beverage packaging
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Technology
Compostable and bio-based plastics (PHA, PLA)
Commercial, with limits
Plastics made from plants or microbes that can break down under the right conditions. Useful for food-soiled items, but only where composting exists.
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Technology
Deposit return systems and reverse vending
Proven at national scale
A small refundable deposit on drink containers, collected back through machines or shops, routinely returns more than 90 percent of bottles and cans.
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Technology
Digital watermarks for packaging
Industrial trials
Invisible codes printed across a package tell sorting cameras what the item is made of and whether it held food, so it can be sorted precisely.
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Technology
Enzymatic recycling of PET and polyester
Pilot to first commercial plants
Engineered enzymes break PET bottles, trays and polyester textiles back into their building blocks, which can be made into new plastic of virgin quality.
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Technology
Hydrothermal recycling
First commercial plant in development
Uses supercritical water to break mixed plastics, including flexible films, back into hydrocarbons for new plastic production.
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Technology
Molded plant fiber packaging
Commercial
Trays, bowls, cup lids and clamshells pressed from plant fibre replace foam and rigid plastic in food service and produce packaging.
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Technology
Mono-material and design for recycling
Commercial
Redesigning multilayer pouches, sleeves and caps so a package is made of one recyclable plastic, following recycler design guides.
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Technology
Reuse and refill systems
Commercial, scaling
Returnable cups, food containers and refill stations replace single-use packaging entirely, with washing and logistics shared across businesses.
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Technology
Seaweed-based packaging
Early commercial
Films, coatings and pods made from seaweed replace plastic in sauce sachets, takeaway box linings and flexible wraps, and break down naturally.
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Technology
Solvent-based purification
Early commercial
Dissolves a single plastic in a solvent to strip out colour, odour and contaminants, then recovers the polymer without breaking its chains.
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Technology
Tethered caps
Required in the EU since July 2024
Caps that stay attached to drink bottles, so the cap is collected and recycled with the bottle instead of becoming litter.