Packaging Manufacturer Makes Waves with Recycled Coastal Plastics Drive

kp (Klöckner Pentaplast), a manufacturer of rigid and flexible packaging and specialty film solutions, shared the results of its recycled coastal plastics initiative.

Partnering with Keep Sea Blue, kp uses Recycled Coastal Plastics, a certified post-consumer recycled raw material recovered from within 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) of the coastline in the Mediterranean basin.

In 2023, kp used more than 880 tons of recycled PET waste collected through this initiative to create new packaging. It is the equivalent of reusing 14 million PET bottles and underlines kp’s aim of promoting environmental stewardship and sustainably designed packaging solutions.

Hendrik Bartels, marketing director, rigids, at kp, said, “We are delighted to work with Keep Sea Blue in the quest for a more robust circular economy in plastics. Our seas and oceans are extremely vulnerable, and plastic waste should never end up in marine environments. That’s why we’re so proud of our achievement, putting bottles and trays back into our packaging materials that could have otherwise ended up in the sea or in the coastal environment.

“What Keep Sea Blue does is ingenious, creating a closely monitored network to collect, sort and process plastics across the Greek islands in the Mediterranean Sea. After processing through RecyClass-certified facilities, this raw material is then used to create the quality range of food packaging solutions that kp is known for. What sets this apart is the transparency of the system, which is essential in the food packaging industry.”

Keep Sea Blue's Blockchain platform, powered by Oracle technology, enables the team at kp to conduct quality checks, verifying the origin, date and location of plastic collection.

Packaging using Recycled Coastal Plastics material is produced at multiple kp production sites across Europe and supplied to customers in Germany, Italy, Portugal, Turkey and the UK.

To drive greater consumer awareness, kp has also developed a dedicated logo that customers can use on the packaging to signify the use of recycled coastal plastics.

To learn more about kp’s use of Recycled Coastal Plastics, click here.