TotalEnergies & Jindal Films to introduce sustainable flexible food packaging

TotalEnergies and Jindal Films have joined forces to produce more sustainable, flexible food packaging and labels. Using advanced recycling technology from Plastic Energy, TotalEnergies will supply Jindal Films with Certified Circular Polypropylene produced from post-consumer plastic waste*. This new value-chain collaboration will divert plastic waste currently destined for incineration and landfill because it is too complex to recycle through existing schemes.

In 2023, TotalEnergies will start up France's first advanced recycling industrial plant on its future zero-crude platform in Grandpuits, in partnership with Plastic Energy. With a processing capacity of 15,000 tons of plastic waste, the plant will produce a recycled oil called TACOIL through a pyrolysis process. This TACOIL will then be used as feedstock to produce virgin-like polymers at TotalEnergies' multiple ISCC PLUS (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification) European petrochemical sites, thus making the full product portfolio available as Certified Circular Polymers*. This technology improves the circularity of highly demanding labeling and packaging applications, such as chocolate bars, snacks and biscuits, and pet and dry food.

These Certified Circular Polymers will be converted by Jindal Films into certified sustainable BOPP (Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene) films made from post-consumer waste*, without any compromise on the final films' properties, their food contact approvals, and their further recyclability. With identical characteristics and performance properties to current references, these films will allow quick implementation by customers. They will be part of a full range of sustainable and recyclable solutions offered by Jindal Films to help the industry move towards easier to recycle mono-material laminates - both PP and PE-based, now also including post-consumer certified recycled content.

"This announcement with Jindal films fully supports our ambition to produce 30% of recycled and renewable polymers by 2030, as it makes it possible to address circularity commitments pledged by many brand owners for highly technical flexible food packaging and labels," said Valérie Goff, senior vice president, Polymers at TotalEnergies.

"We are excited to offer films made of TotalEnergies Certified Circular Polypropylene as it strongly complements our sustainable films strategy and enables our customers to have packaging made with post-consumer recycled content," said Mirek Tokaj, marketing director, Jindal Films.

"We are pleased that our TACOIL made from the conversion of post-consumer plastic waste is being used in the manufacturing of recycled packaging for TotalEnergies and Jindal Films. Our advanced recycling process reduces resource depletion and supports the circular economy, paving the way for incorporating more recycled content into flexible packaging," said Carlos Monreal, founder and chief executive officer of Plastic Energy.

*TotalEnergies Certified Circular Polymers follow the ISCC PLUS scheme that secures traceability along the value chain by mass balance allocation.