More Recycled Materials and Excellent Quality
RKW continues to pursue this path by reusing plastic waste in high-quality films and intensifying its efforts to reduce plastic waste. A new five-layer line at RKW's site in Pori, Finland, and new formulations from the application technology department enable the production of high-quality lawn and garden films with an increasingly higher proportion of recycled content – among this also post-consumer recyclate (PCR). "Our customers are delighted with the quality, feel and appearance of the products," says Pekka Saariluoma, Director of RKW Finland.
However, RKW is not yet satisfied with the current share of recycled material from post-consumer waste, even if this is currently the industry benchmark. "We aim to increase the share of recycled PCR material while not sacrificing on the materials’ qualities," says Saariluoma. Lawn and garden films have to provide an outstanding printability, high opacity and a high puncture resistance, among others.
Plastic waste from the end-consumer sector has been processed for a long time. However, the quality requirements are not so high here, as they are mainly used to manufacture garbage bags, for example. The production of high-quality films – like the RKW’s lawn and garden films – with a very high proportion of PCR places high demands on development and application technology, which RKW meets with great commitment.
A further line of this kind is planned for RKW’s site SFE in Ville le Marclet, France, in the near future, where RKW produces films for food and beverage packaging.
