Judges hail the fully recyclable HDPE mono-material barrier packaging range as ‘the first viable alternative to composite barrier packaging and a game changer in the market’.
ReZorce Circular Packaging has scooped the top honour in the Best Recycled Plastic Product of the Year category at the 2023 Plastics Industry Awards. Created as a mono-material alternative to difficult-to-recycle composite packaging typically used in applications such as beverage cartons, ReZorce will make its commercial debut early 2024.
Announcing their decision, the judges said: “This groundbreaking plastic material looks set to replace the very commonly used but difficult to recycle multi-layer barrier packaging board and presents a real opportunity for the industry to solve a long-term environmental problem with a mono-material alternative that is readily recyclable.
“[ReZorce is] a fully recyclable HDPE mono-material barrier packaging range and the first viable alternative to composite barrier packaging: a game changer in the market.”
Currently ReZorce is the subject of a Joint Development Agreement with a major global player in beverage packaging. Trials are planned for early 2024 to replace Liquid Packaging Board (LPB) for juice cartons with a major European retailer.
ReZorce offers comparable performance to standard LPB but is easy to recycle via standard household collection and has a significantly lower environmental impact. Crucially, it has been designed to be compatible with existing infrastructure, making for a straightforward transition for retailers, brand owners, manufacturers and consumers and its patented multi-layer structure enables recycled plastic to be incorporated within its core, in line with targets set out in the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive.
Accepting the award, Neil Court-Johnston, President of Zotefoams’ Mucell Extrusion business unit, said: “I’m deeply honoured that ReZorce has been selected for the PIA’s Recycled Plastic Product of the Year. With attention firmly focused on the imperative of a circular economy in packaging, the judges have acknowledged that ReZorce offers an environmentally superior alternative to the status quo – with no compromise required.”
“As we close in on commercialisation of ReZorce in 2024, we are increasingly excited by its prospects: retailers and brand owners are recognising that composite materials will struggle to find a place in a circular future.”
Launched in 2001, and held annually in London, the Plastics Industry Awards are firmly established as the forum for recognising and rewarding excellence in an increasingly competitive market. this event is dedicated to rewarding innovation, sustainability and exceptional performance.
About Zotefoams plc
Zotefoams plc (LSE – ZTF) is a world leader in cellular materials technology delivering optimal material solutions for the benefit of society. Utilising a variety of unique manufacturing processes, including environmentally friendly nitrogen expansion for lightweight AZOTE® polyolefin and ZOTEK® high-performance foams, Zotefoams sells to diverse markets worldwide. Zotefoams uses its own cellular materials to manufacture T-FIT® advanced insulation for demanding industrial markets. Zotefoams also owns and licenses patented microcellular foam technology to reduce plastic use in extrusion applications and for ReZorce® mono-material recyclable barrier packaging.
Zotefoams is headquartered in Croydon, UK, with additional manufacturing sites in Kentucky, USA and Brzeg, Poland (foam manufacture), Oklahoma, USA (foam products manufacture and conversion), Massachusetts, USA and Stilling, Denmark (microcellular foam technology) and Jiangsu Province, China (T-FIT).
