ABMA’s cross-industry initiative brings together aseptic bag manufacturers, tomato and fruit processors and brand owners to develop a recycling system to prevent severe disruption to the production of ketchup, tomato sauces, juices and other food products in Europe from 2030.
Industrial aseptic bags are widely used to transport and store processed tomatoes, fruit preparations and juices. Their high-barrier structures protect product quality, enable shelf lives of up to 24 months and support the management of seasonal harvests and global supply chains. Typical bags combine polyethylene with barrier materials such as metallised PET or aluminium foil and polyamide. These bags normally range from 220L to 1600L.
Preparing for the EU PPWR’s 2030 requirements
Under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), packaging placed on the EU market must comply with recyclability requirements from 1 January 2030. Industrial aseptic bags are currently considered not recyclable under the Design for Recycling criteria being developed for flexible polyethylene packaging. At the same time, replacing their multi-material structures remains technically unfeasible due to demanding food-safety, packaging strength and shelf-life requirements.
“The situation is critical. If industrial aseptic bags are not recognised as recyclable by 2030, they may no longer be placed on the EU market. This would put the supply of essential tomato and fruit ingredients at risk and could severely disrupt these food products in Europe. It is essential that a dedicated collection and recycling system is established in time to ensure these bags are recyclable and recycled in practice,” said Guido Aufdemkamp, executive director of ABMA.
From collection to high-quality recycling
The main objective of the initiative is to ensure that industrial aseptic bags are considered recyclable under the PPWR and can still be placed on the European Market from 2030. The initiative will comprise the following actions:
- Qualify technologies for recycling industrial aseptic bags;
- Develop a collection and recycling scheme compliant with the Extended Producer Responsibility national rules;
- Prepare Design for Recycling guidelines to be included in the PPWR;
- Evaluate recyclates suitability for food contact applications.
The three-year project will establish the collection and recycling system needed to ensure that industrial aseptic bags are recyclable and comply with the PPWR requirements from 2030. Working with recyclers and national Producer Responsibility Organisations, the initiative will develop the technical and operational framework required for implementation across Europe.
Participating companies are Aran Group, Goglio, Hansin, Kagome, Kraft Heinz, Smurfit Westrock and Tesseraux.
ABMA represents approximately 90% of the global industrial aseptic bag market and is a market group of Flexible Packaging Europe.