Closing the loop on FIBCs

Increase sustainability, reduce plastic waste: Companies in almost every industry worldwide face the need to put these two goals into practice. In the area of woven plastic packaging for dry bulk goods, Starlinger provides a feasible solution: The future-oriented “Circular Packaging” concept establishes closed product loops for woven plastic packaging such as big bags (Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers, or FIBCs) and other woven polypropylene sacks. Starlinger’s state-of-the-art technology allows to include high shares of recycled content in woven packaging made of polypropylene, or to produce big bags and sacks made entirely of recycled PET.

 

“Plastics are part of the solution,” says Harald Neumüller, the company's Chief Sales Officer. “The problem isn’t the material itself—it’s how we handle it. When we establish closed product loops, plastics can become one of the most sustainable packaging options we have,” he explains.

 

This lies at the root of Starlinger’s “Circular Packaging” concept for FIBCs. The idea is to collect and recycle these high-performance bags and use the recycled polypropylene (rPP) for producing new ones, which avoids waste and also significantly reduces the need for virgin materials. Starlinger has developed special technological features to produce high-strength tapes with recycled polypropylene; among them, for example, the so-called SPB filter for tape extrusion. It ensures a stable extrusion process with thoroughly cleaned melt for producing tapes from rPP that fulfil all the requirements regarding tenacity, elongation and strength that are necessary to ensure the safe handling of a big bag. “It’s not enough to recycle,” Neumüller points out. “You have to ensure that the recycled material performs at the same level as virgin material.” Big bags are real heavy-duty champions with a remarkable packaging-to-weight ratio: A bag weighing only 1.5 kg can carry up to 1,500 kg of product. They are a versatile and widely used type of packaging for dry bulk goods and essential in industries ranging from agriculture to construction. Starlinger’s “Circular Packaging” concept provides the opportunity to make big bags more sustainable without compromising their performance. A closed loop for big bags furthermore means integrating “Design for Recycling” in the bag construction—they should be mono-material, not printed too much, and be equipped with easy-to-remove labels and inliners. This not only facilitates recycling but also ensures compliance with the stringent environmental regulations cropping up around the world, such as the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation and Great Britain’s Plastic Packaging Tax. The “Circular Packaging” concept can of course also be applied to other types of woven polypropylene sacks developed by Starlinger—they are designed for recycling and can be produced using recycled material.

 

Starlinger’s long and deep experience in PET recycling has paved the way for big bags made from 100 % recycled PET. PET, widely used in the production of bottles and other plastic products, can be recycled into a high-quality material with the same properties as virgin resin. Similar to bottle-to-bottle applications, big bags can be produced from 100 % recycled PET using Starlinger tape extrusion and circular weaving technology. In addition to being a highly sustainable closed-loop packaging solution, PET big bags feature particularly good dimensional stability due to their high tensile strength and creep modulus. This makes them perfect for long-term storage or for packaging dry bulk goods with high flow characteristics and thus provide an economical alternative to IBCs (Intermediate Bulk Containers) made from rigid plastics, metal or cardboard.

 

Starlinger’s focus on resource conservation goes hand-in-hand with addressing global environmental challenges. The company’s long-standing expertise in recycling, coupled with its ability to produce high-performance packaging from recycled materials, offers feasible solutions to the waste crisis. “The challenge isn’t just reducing waste,” says Neumüller. “It’s creating a system where waste becomes the raw material for new, equally strong and safe products.”

 

Starlinger is an Austrian machine manufacturing company based in Vienna with production sites in Weissenbach and St. Martin, as well as in Schwerin, Germany and Taicang, China. As the world's leading supplier of machines and complete systems for the production of woven plastic bags, as well as systems for plastics recycling, PET extrusion and finishing, the Starlinger brand is synonymous with quality and technological leadership in more than 130 countries. Founded in 1835, the family-owned company has been exporting its products around the world for more than 50 years and achieves an export quota of over 99.5%. The company has its own sales and service centres in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, the United States and Uzbekistan, each of them guaranteeing swift and professional technical service.