A Look Back at the Roundtable Discussion: Food Packaging

Food Packaging – Innovation, Sustainability, and Outlook
, May 19, 2025, at the ANIA offices

This roundtable was organized in collaboration with Euramaterials and the Copack Chair as part of the symposium “Food Packaging, Innovation, Sustainability, and Outlook.” Frédéric Merle (EuraMaterials) moderated the discussion.
The roundtable brought together five key speakers representing the diverse perspectives of the industry:

• Nicolas Pont, Technical Director in charge of recycling and eco-design at the environmental organization Leko
• Muriel Case, Executive Director of Syndifrais, representing the fresh dairy products sector.
• Christophe de Boissoudy, President of the AFCB (French Association for Bio-based Compostable Materials), which brings together the entire bio-based sector, from upstream agriculture to processors.
• Agnès Jacquot, Director of CSR and Communications at Sources Alma, the French leader in bottled natural water, which operates three recycling facilities, including one in France.
• Juliette Beaulieu, Director of Development and Recycling at Citeo, leads an R&D team dedicated to developing recycling systems

Their discussions highlighted areas of agreement, but also sparked lively debates on recycling technologies, European regulations, access to recycled materials, and the role of consumers in the system.

Environmental organizations have pointed out that the recycling systems for rigid PET and polyolefins (PE/PP) are currently functioning very well. The recycling system for flexible PE is already partially operational, and the system for flexible PP is expected to become operational soon. However, significant work remains to be done on polystyrene resin as well as on laminated flexible plastic films.

The expansion of the recycling guidelines implemented by Citeo since 2022 is specifically aimed at collecting all plastic packaging in the yellow bin to optimize collection volumes and promote the development of new recycling streams; however, results to date remain limited for the plastic sector and even more so for the flexible plastic sector. Citeo has identified the need for consumers to change their sorting habits as one of the reasons for these difficulties.

For Leko, the “yellow bin” is a limiting factor and remains ill-suited for the widespread recycling of various materials. This is the case for ceramics, wood, and cork. Leko believes that improving recycling overall requires the development of alternative collection systems.

Everyone agrees that sorting centers play a central role: they are the cornerstone of recyclability. Improving recyclability in accordance with European regulations and developing new, innovative recycling streams must necessarily be based on eco-design and dialogue among the various links in the value chain.

The Case of Sources Alma and the commendable practice of PET bottle recycling, with one caveat regarding the supply of recycled materials.
Sources Alma, a major player in the bottling industry in France, is actively committed to a circular economy approach by recycling collected PET bottles to produce resin of a quality equivalent to virgin material, suitable for food contact. Every step of the process is rigorously controlled, with particular attention paid to the rheology of the materials and the removal of contaminants. The company has invested in integrating its recycling processes, with centers located near preform manufacturing sites, thereby reducing the carbon footprint associated with transportation.
In terms of eco-design, Sources Alma is working to reduce the weight of packaging films and incorporate recycled material, while also reducing the thickness of bottles—some weighing less than 13 g—to minimize their plastic footprint. 
Despite technological advances allowing for the integration of up to 100% recycled materials, access to recycled material remains a major challenge due to its cost and availability. The collection rate for PET bottles in France hovers around 60%, which limits the availability of rPET. The implementation of deposit-return systems is being considered to improve this collection rate. Furthermore, competition from Asia is putting pressure on the rPET market, making supply more complex for European players

A debate on the return of deposit-return systems and the related economic issues.

The introduction of a deposit system could help improve collection rates. However, questions remain regarding ownership of the collected material and, in particular, the role of local authorities. Diverting PET material from traditional recycling streams managed by local governments could result in a significant loss of revenue for institutional recycling stakeholders and lead to higher processing costs, thereby increasing eco-contributions.

The Polystyrene Industry

Following the Climate and Resilience Act, which proposed a ban on polystyrene in packaging, Syndifrais launched a collaborative discussion with its industrial and marketing members. The discussion revealed that polystyrene remains difficult to replace in certain food applications due to its technical performance and its integration into optimized production lines.

To address these challenges, a consortium including recycling industry stakeholders was formed to explore sustainable solutions. This collaboration led to a project based on chemical recycling through depolymerization, carried out by the Belgian company Indaver. The plant, located in Antwerp and designed to process up to 26,000 tons of polystyrene per year, required an investment of 60 million euros.

The first production run is scheduled for later this year. To ensure the project’s viability, manufacturers have committed to maintaining available polystyrene volumes and incorporating the recycled material into their new packaging. At the same time, Syndifrais has launched an awareness campaign on sorting yogurt cups, notably by printing incentive messages on the lids, in order to expand the supply needed to feed the plant.

Awareness and Recycling: A Social Issue.

As noted above, consumer awareness of proper sorting practices can hinder the development of new recycling streams. Yogurt containers, for example, are still rarely recycled today (only 3% of yogurt containers are found in so-called “development” streams). The reason the polystyrene from this packaging rarely ends up in the recycling bin is that it is often perceived as unsuitable or dirty. Changing our habits as consumers remains a critical challenge to ensuring the scaling up of volumes and the profitability of operations in a highly capital-intensive sector.

Unresolved Issues in Chemical Recycling

Chemical recycling still raises many challenges: the scale of the facilities required, the availability and geographic concentration of recyclable raw materials (to limit the impact of transportation), the cost of processing—which is key to ensuring economic viability—as well as the assessment of the environmental footprint of emerging technologies. Furthermore, it is essential for plants to reach a critical mass to ensure their profitability.

The polystyrene recycling process developed by Syndifrais represents a significant step forward, but it currently relies on a single production facility in Belgium, at Indaver. This raises questions about our industrial sovereignty: wouldn’t it be better, in France, to prioritize the creation of several small local units rather than relying on a centralized mega-plant? This would help limit per-unit investment and shorten waste collection chains.

Bioplastics and Composting

The AFCB (French Association for Bio-based Compostable Materials) reiterated that its activities pertain solely to bio-based compostable plastics, which are typically disposed of through organic recycling. The materials in question mainly include complex starches used in particular for fruit and vegetable bags , as well as PLA (polylactic acid)— with plans for the company Futerro to establish a plant in France — and materials derived from fermentation processes such as PBAT (polybutylene adipate terephthalate) and PHAs (polyhydroxyalkanoates).

La Franca has chosen to prioritize materials compatible with home composting, but without a clear framework. The AFCB, on the other hand, believes that industrial composting, carried out under strictly controlled conditions, ensures that the compost meets the quality standards required by farmers.

The issue of the proper biodegradability of these bio-based plastics is addressed in the research conducted by the CoPack Chair, led by the Agro Paristech Foundation, in which AFCB members participate. The results of this research show very good biodegradation of these materials under industrial composting conditions, with no impact on compost quality. The AFCB notes that 100% of the materials tested were certified.

The ongoing research must now demonstrate the absence of microplastics derived from these biomaterials in the final compost.

To watch the conference, click here!

Finally, if you are astakeholder in the packaging value chainand would like to:
– better understand regulatory issues,
– receive support for youreco-design, reuse, or recycling projects,
or simply discussinnovation opportunitiesin this field, please contact Frédéric MERLE

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