DuPont, Technipaq Tackle Medical Packaging Plastic Waste

Technipaq Inc., a manufacturer of flexible sterilizable packaging solutions and Tyvek Authorized Converter, has partnered with DuPont Tyvek and recycling partner Freepoint Eco-Systems to significantly build upon the company’s ongoing sustainability and recycling efforts.
 
Technipaq is now diverting its mixed material plastic waste stream containing Tyvek and other plastic waste generated during healthcare packaging manufacturing at its Crystal Lake, Ill., facility away from landfills and to Freepoint, where it will be recycled for use in to produce new “virgin-quality” plastics and fuels. 
 
“DuPont Tyvek has consistently taken a leadership role in forging interdisciplinary partnerships within the global healthcare packaging and manufacturing value chain, which is an increasingly important topic for our industry as we collectively seek to achieve more sustainable solutions and create a circular economy,” said Brian Rosenburg, president and CEO, Technipaq. “We are excited and honored to play such a major role in helping make this a reality.”

Freepoint aspires to divert 170 million pounds of plastic waste from landfills at each of its facilities on an annual basis—the equivalent of reducing GHG emissions from up to 55,000 cars per facility. 
 
“This represents yet another great multi-stakeholder partnership designed to build a waste-free, ‘closed loop’ healthcare packaging manufacturing environment,” said John Richard, vice president, DuPont Safety. “The healthcare industry requires a broad spectrum of plastics to manufacture packaging solutions for medical device, diagnostic and pharmaceutical products. Recyclability of healthcare packaging manufacturing waste is an increasingly important topic for the industry as it seeks to achieve sustainable solutions and a circular economy. Bringing a market leader such as Technipaq into this initiative marks a significant, positive step forward for our industry overall.” 

Tyvek is mainly composed of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and is certified 100 percent recyclable, making it compatible with existing and emerging (advanced) recycling techniques. Due to its unique combination of properties, Tyvek allows for the facilitation of packaging solutions—such as mono-material structures—that meet the sustainable design guidelines established by industry leaders such as Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC), CEFLEX and RecyClass. 
 
“Freepoint intends to recycle waste plastic that is usually very challenging to recycle and is typically headed for landfill or incineration,” said Kat Doerr, vice president of Origination, Freepoint Eco-Systems. “By converting plastic waste into reusable products, less oil is required to be extracted from the ground. This results in a more sustainable economy and a healthier planet.”
 
 An ISO 13485 certified manufacturer with more than 175,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space, Technipaq specializes in coating, laminating, printing, slitting, sheeting, die-cutting, and fabricating high-quality, flexible sterilizable packaging solutions for the medical device, diagnostic, life science, and pharmaceutical industries. An Authorized Converter of DuPont Tyvek for medical packaging, the company maintains a selection of custom stock laminates, manufactured in both peel-able and fusion seal format. Technipaq also specializes in converting Tyvek, foils, films, and surgical papers into high-barrier EtO, radiation and autoclave packaging. Since the company’s inception nearly four decades ago by industry pioneer Phil Rosenburg, Technipaq has remained a single-stop supplier of customized packaging solutions for the medical industry. 
 
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