Smurfit Westrock launches new packaging to address EU regulation

Newly merged paper and packaging company Smurfit Westrock has launched a new packaging product to address the upcoming requirements of the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

The Dublin-based company, with North American headquarters in Atlanta, is introducing its EasySplit Bag-in-Box design, an innovation aimed at ensuring bag-in-box products can be easily separated into their component parts, which, according to Smurfit Westrock, significantly improves the recycling process.

Under the PPWR, all applicable packaging will be required to achieve at least an 80 percent recyclability rate. When Smurfit Westrock’s EasySplit Bag-in-Box components are properly separated, its recyclability rate can exceed 90 percent.

However, the company notes that if the components are not separated, the entire package is relegated to the recycling stream of the dominant material, typically cardboard, rendering the included plastic bag nonrecyclable and capping the package’s recyclability rate at 75 percent.

“With the European Commission set to decide on the methodology within the next three years, it is imperative to act swiftly and demonstrate a viable solution to the challenge,” Smurfit Westrock Bag-in-Box CEO Massimiliano Bianchi says. “Smurfit Westrock is leading the charge in preparing the packaging industry for future regulations by launching our EasySplit Bag-in-Box design.”

The EU reached a provisional agreement on the PPWR in March. The law aims to make packaging in the EU safer and more sustainable by requiring all packaging be recyclable, minimizing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food-content packaging, reducing excess packaging, boosting the uptake of recycled content and improving collection and recycling. The agreement also sets packaging reduction targets to 5 percent by 2030, 10 percent by 2035 and 15 percent by 2040.

“As we continue to educate consumers and stakeholders about the importance of proper recycling practices, Smurfit Westrock remains dedicated to driving positive change and demonstrating environmental stewardship,” Bianchi says.