(AGENPARL) – gio 11 luglio 2024 Versalis and Forever Plast to launch REFENCE™, a range of recycled
polymers for food contact packaging from NEWER™ technology
San Donato Milanese (Milan), Lograto (Brescia) – 11 July 2024 – Following the
collaboration between Versalis, Eni’s chemical company, and Forever Plast, Italy’s
leading company in post-consumer plastic recycling, comes REFENCE™, an
innovative range of recycled polymers for food contact packaging. The range is
already available in the market for polystyrene applications such as yogurt pots, trays
for meat and fish, and other types of rigid and expanded packaging.
These new products will expand the Versalis Revive® portfolio of mechanically
recycled materials, redefining their application limits and enabling direct contact with
food.
REFENCE™ has been produced due to NEWER™ technology, which is developed in
Versalis’ research laboratories in Mantua and industrialised at Forever Plast’s facilities
in Lograto (Brescia) under a co-development agreement between Versalis and
Forever Plast. NEWER™ enables the purification of recycled polymers in compliance
with EU Regulation 1616/2022 on recycling. The technology has also obtained the
Non-Objection Letter (NOL) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Adriano Alfani, CEO of Versalis said: “Circularity is a fundamental strategic lever. For
this reason, we are committed to developing complementary recycling processes to
enhance the value of end-of-life plastics and integrate ourselves into the Italian
national collection chain. We are completing works on our first advanced mechanical
recycling hub at Porto Marghera for post-consumer plastics, in particular styrenic
polymers. Our collaboration with Forever Plast aims to reach application sectors, such
as food packaging, where sustainability and quality requirements are essential, thus
strengthening our European leadership in mechanical recycling.”
Piersandro Arrighini, CEO of Forever Plast, said: “We are very pleased with the result
achieved, especially as there was no recycling chain for polystyrene from separate
waste collection at a European level until a few years ago. The collaboration with
Versalis has allowed us to reach this extraordinary milestone.”
Forever Plast contacts:
Eni company contacts:
Website: http://www.eni.com/