Recyclability is the first requirement for sustainable packaging.
A packaging is recyclable when it can be processed effectively and efficiently to allow the reuse of its cellulosic fibres through the most widely used paper production technologies.
The recyclability of a predominantly cellulosic packaging is not a foregone conclusion, for example, it must be tested, even in single-material solutions, that the glues and inks used are not an obstacle to the recycling process. In the same way, and all the more so, recyclability must be tested in the case of packaging which combines with other materials.
The growing interest of the consumer for the issues of sustainability of packaging pushes companies to a deepening on the recyclability of materials that therefore must be measured analytically through laboratory tests. Assessing the composition of packaging and its components and constituents is fundamental to designing and creating a packaging that is truly eco-sustainable and circular.
The paper industry has identified methods of analysis for the determination of recyclability, the result of which allows producers and users of predominantly cellulosic materials or products to communicate to their customers the level of recyclability of materials or products, enhancing the characteristics of eco-sustainability.
The Aticelca 501/19 system is a voluntary evaluation method, carried out by Aticelca with the contribution of Assocarta, Assografici and Comieco and the technical support of Innovhub and Lucense, able to determine the level of recyclability of predominantly cellulosic materials and products (paper and cardboard), based on a laboratory analysis developed since 2011 and became standard UNI 11743:2019 in April 2019.
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