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Nextek and Coveris have announced a partnership to advance the mechanical recycling of flexible packaging films, focusing on post-consumer polyolefin (PE & PP) waste.

The collaboration centres on Nextek’s COtooCLEAN technology, a process that uses a waterless cleaning and decontamination method to produce food-grade recycled materials from post-consumer plastic films.

As part of the collaboration, the companies are developing a demonstration plant in the UK, where the technology will undergo extensive trials at industrial scale to meet regulatory standards. According to the companies, the 'ultimate goal' is to make this process available globally, helping 'tackle one of the toughest recycling challenges'.

COtooCLEAN addresses a key challenge in recycling PE and PP films, which are often difficult to decontaminate. By enabling the production of food-grade recycled materials, the technology marks a significant advancement in promoting a sustainable future for flexible packaging.

Professor Edward Kosior, CEO and founder of Nextek, highlighted: “COtooCLEAN has the potential to transform plastic film recycling... Partnering with Coveris is the next big step. Together, we’ll demonstrate this technology at scale and work toward a circular economy for plastic films.”

Christian Kolarik, CEO of Coveris, added: “We’re really a frontrunner in this topic and we are thrilled to collaborate with Nextek on this project – a breakthrough in food-grade mechanical recycling. Sustainability is at the heart of Coveris' ‘No Waste’ strategy, and this partnership is another milestone in ending plastic waste. Together with our ReCover recycling entity and our collaboration with Interzero, we are taking bold steps towards turning waste back into a valuable resource.”