The mission of Greenback Recycling Technologies is to solve the global plastic waste crisis. The UK-based company specializes in implementing scalable, distributed advanced collection and recycling solutions to provide brand owners and the plastic value chain with fully traceable recyclables. Using blockchain-based evidence to track and verify the source and composition of materials, it enables waste plastics to be used more effectively as raw materials for food-grade commercial packaging applications at predictable prices and reliable quantities.
"We are building a decentralized network of collection and recycling plants near sources of post-consumer plastic waste around the world," Greenback CEO Philippe von Stauffenberg explained. "By using smart contracts, we ensure that the value is fairly distributed to all participants in the supply chain, including the informal waste collection department."
Recently, the company incorporated microwave-induced pyrolysis technology into its lineup of plastic and packaging waste management solutions. The process was developed by Enval, a British chemical recycling technology expert. It is a proprietary solution for the treatment of low-density plastic packaging waste, which can thermally and chemically decompose organic materials at high temperatures in the absence of oxygen. According to von Stauffenberg, it has great potential to recycle mixed plastic waste, otherwise these wastes cannot be physically separated and sorted economically.
The Enval microwave-induced pyrolysis technology used by Greenback is specially developed for the recycling of complex plastic packaging and can process a variety of materials, including multilayer (foil/film) laminates. Von Stauffenberg explained that when carbon is exposed to a microwave field, it can reach temperatures as high as 1,000°C in a few minutes. If the crushed plastic waste is then mixed with carbon, the energy absorbed from the microwave will be transferred to the plastic in a fast and efficient manner through conduction. As the package passes through the oven, the plastic, glue, and ink layers degrade through a pyrolysis process to form a mixture of hydrocarbons, ranging from C3 to C20.
"This mixture is the gas in the oven, which is discharged and cooled and separated into two parts: natural gas and oil-called Py-Oil," von Stauffenberg continued. "Gas is used to generate the electricity needed to power the process, and condensate oil can be used as a raw material for the production of new plastics." He added that a single microwave-induced pyrolysis module can process 2.5kt of plastic waste that is difficult to recycle per year, and It can be expanded in 2.5kt increments to accommodate the size of the available waste stream.
"When the right technology is implemented and utilized, the transition to a circular economy will create new markets and opportunities for the recycling industry and consumer goods companies," he said. "In addition, for companies and brands trying to solve the problem of plastic waste, a key challenge is to ensure the legal source of clean, recycled plastic and verify the source of the material-from collection to use. This is particularly important for food packaging applications."
"Greenback recognizes that the world is facing a plastic waste crisis and urgently needs to reform today's recycling system. A new method and way of thinking is needed to achieve the scale, source, and expertise required by the waste collection and recycling industry in the near future.
"By working with Enval and CPG to install innovative recycling technologies, complemented by advanced digital solutions for landfills, Greenback is meeting the challenge."
In September 2021, Greenback announced the establishment of a project partnership with Nestlé Mexico. It will install the first factory in the country to use Enval's microwave induced pyrolysis technology to achieve a complete recycling of food-grade plastic packaging.
Nestlé Mexico is the first consumer products company in Mexico to guarantee access to recyclable food-grade plastics, and the first outside Europe to install a chemical recycling plant capable of processing flexible plastic packaging. Greenback said that this will solve the challenge of post-consumer plastic waste that is difficult to recycle in the country, thereby helping to promote a circular economy. The goal of the first phase of the project is to process 6,000 tons of flexible plastic packaging in the first year.
The new plant will use the innovative microwave-induced pyrolysis technology developed by Enval to convert valueless plastic packaging into pyrolysis oil, which can be used in the petrochemical industry to manufacture new products with post-consumer recycled content. Greenback stated that Enval's technology is unique because it also allows the recovery of aluminum from packaging that is super effective but has not been recyclable until now.
This ambitious project is expected to achieve the recycling of up to 6,000 tons of flexible plastic packaging in the first year, and it is expected that the country's number and installed capacity will continue to grow. In addition, Nestlé will invest in Greenback's eco2Veritas recycling platform to adapt to the Mexican waste ecosystem and market, which provides complete traceability of the neutralization and recycling process.
"Making safe recycled plastics for food packaging is a huge challenge for our industry. Therefore, in addition to minimizing the use of plastics and collecting waste, we also hope to close the loop so that more plastics can be recycled indefinitely," CEO Fausto Costa said. Nestle Mexico. "This project in collaboration with Greenback and Enval fully supports the mission of ensuring that our plastic packaging is not only recyclable, but actually recyclable; it ensures that we drastically reduce plastic waste pollution and supports our cooperation with local communities."
Philippe von Stauffenberg, founder and CEO of Greenback, commented: “This project in Mexico will solve the unresolved problem of converting difficult-to-recycle multilayer and mixed plastics into recyclable waste streams. The purpose is to reduce the existing challenges. In terms of packaging recycling, these waste resources are converted into pyrolysis oil, which can be used to manufacture certified recycled food packaging."
Carlos Ludlow, founder and CEO of Enval, also commented: “This collaborative project with Nestlé Mexico and Greenback demonstrates the importance of teamwork between companies in different parts of the value chain in addressing the plastic challenges in the environment. At Enval, We know that plastic is not an enemy, but a material that improves our lives, but it must never become a pollution. We are pleased to know that our first factory, in cooperation with a well-known Nestlé company and with Greenback, will soon be built and operated in Mexico. "
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