Time of protection equivalence principle to allow design barrier layers for promoting the use of recycled materials for food contact

Abstract

European and national environmental protection policies have programmed the forthcoming end of single-use plastics, including food packaging. Because plastic materials account for 50% of plastic waste, closed-loop recycling seems imperative. Still, plastics other than PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) are not widely recycled for food contact due to safety concerns. Among them, postconsumer polyolefins are heavily formulated, degraded, and contaminated by the previously contacting product. Using recycled materials behind a functional barrier (FB) could resolve the issue under specific provisions, but neither the European regulation nor the US FDA offer guidance concerning functional barriers evaluation and use. Mathematical modeling is the only viable method recognized by European and American agencies to evaluate recycled material under usage conditions. This study numerically explores the possibility of combining two effects: decontamination of the recycled material and a functional barrier to allow safe use of the recycled material.

Keywords

• circular economy
• food contact
• recycling
• functional barriers
• migration