Norway’s Norner to research green packaging; EUR2.5 mn funding

Circular economy is high on the agenda but it needs further R&D to increase efforts for development of new solutions. Norway’s Norner Research AS will lead “FuturePack”; a large research project for development of new technologies for bioplastics and recycling of plastics packaging. The project is financed by the Norwegian Research Council (NRC) and industrial project partners.

Grønt Punkt Norge AS (Green Dot Norway) took, on behalf of the industry, the initiative to establish the project and engaged Norner to lead the work to develop the content and a strong consortium of industrial and institute partners.

Topics are central to the FuturePack project include future packaging with more sustainability through increasing share of biobased and recycled materials. This will contribute to lower CO2 emissions, better resource utilisation and reduced littering.

Norner will cooperate with industry partners and other institutes. The participating institutes are Nofima, Paper and Fibre Research Institute (PFI), Østfoldforskning and NTNU IKP. The group of institutes together hold key competence in conversion of biomass to polymers, food packaging, food technology, polymer technology, recycling and plastics processing. The Norwegian industrial partners are Bama, BEWI, Elopak, Grønt Punkt, Norgesgruppen, Nortura, ROAF and Tine who represent various parts of the value chain of packaging, food production and recycling. Additionally, an international advisory board will include Ineos, Unilever and EPRO.

“Grønt Punkt Norge is responsible for financing the recovery and recycling of used packaging on behalf of the industrial sector. We see a significant need for increasing the development of new technology that can increase recycling of packaging, especially that which today is difficult to recycle. To achieve high goals, research is required, and we are proud that this project received grants from the research council.”, says Eirik Oland in Grønt Punkt Norge. “We have a strong strategic focus on sustainability and circular economy in the plastics value chain through projects in the field of recycling and biobased materials. By long term cooperation with our international clients we have also acquired significant competence in this field. However, more research and competence is needed to solve our global challenges and “FuturePack” is an important project to take new steps in the right direction.”, says Tine Rørvik, CEO of Norner.