Award-winning British Recycling Project, NEXTLOOPP, Hits Bullseye in Plastics Recycling Ahead of COP26
20.10.2021 12:30:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
NEXTLOOPP, the groundbreaking project by Nextek Limited, that recently won the overall award for ‘Best Sustainable Packaging Innovation’ at Packaging Europe’s Sustainability Awards - https://packagingeurope.com/sustainability-awards-2021-winners-revealed/ has revealed the results of its highly successful tracer-based sorting trials held at TOMRA (Germany) in September 2021.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211020005464/en/
NEXTLOOPP participants in the global project to close the loop on food-grade Polypropylene (Graphic: Business Wire)
The trials, to specifically sort food-grade plastic packaging waste, achieved a resounding 99.9% sorting purity at maximum production speed.
This demonstrates that Nextek’s unique technology efficiently differentiates food packaging from non-food packaging to meet the standards required by the Food Standards Authorities in the UK and EU. Being able to identify and sort any number of pack variants from bleach bottles to milk bottles in any plastic type is a world-first that will transform the way we recycle the prolific volume of single-use post-consumer food packaging waste back into circular applications.
This announcement marks 12 months of NEXTLOOPP’s programme to close the loop on food-grade Polypropylene (FGPP), which is the biggest plastic fraction in the FMCG sector. In the UK alone, 210,000 tonnes of FGPP packaging is used in pots, tubs, trays and films each year, and this cutting-edge innovation creates the opportunity to recycle Polypropylene (PP) back into food packaging.
This also heralds a new era in the plastics packaging recycling industry and the validation of NEXTLOOPP’s PolyPRISMTM ‘plug-and-play’ marker system, as used on TOMRA’s sorting equipment for commercial purposes.
Sorting plastic waste into polymer types is the first of three vital steps needed to close the loop on PP and create a global low carbon economy. The next step requires splitting the plastic packaging into food and non-food fractions. The final step involves NEXTLOOPP’s patented decontamination process, PPristineTM, which unlocks the markets to food packaging. Recycling 63,000 tonnes of PP per annum would save a minimum estimated 105,600 tonnes in CO2 emissions in the UK each year.
“During recent trials held at our TOMRA Test Centre we achieved very promising results on all Polypropylene 3D samples in all test runs with state-of-the-art NIR/VIS technology. We exceeded the required 95% purity for food-grade in each test run. The next important milestones will be a field demonstration as well as demonstrating chemical compliance with food-grade regulation” said Ralph Uepping, Technical Director at TOMRA.
Professor Edward Kosior, founder of Nextek, believes the NEXTLOOPP project is the catalyst to transform current FGrPP recycling and become the next food-grade recycling success story. PET was first and now it’s the turn of PP.
About Nextek Ltd
Nextek is a global sustainability consultancy that provides strategic advice to regional and multi-national organisations and recycling companies. Launched in 2004, Nextek researches and develops innovative strategies and processes within the recycling ecosystem – from designing recycling plants to developing ground-breaking projects for governments and major organisations. Nextek launched NEXTLOOPP, a two-year 37-strong project, to close the loop on food-grade recycled Polypropylene (rPP). This project incorporates unique technological breakthroughs that include innovative sorting and cutting-edge decontamination technologies.
About Tomra
TOMRA is a Norwegian multinational corporation that manufactures collection and sorting products, such as reverse vending machines for the food, recycling and mining industries. TOMRA is the market leader in its industry with over 100,000 installations in 80+ markets worldwide. Its Recycling Division has pioneered the automation of waste sorting.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211020005464/en/
Contact information
Janine Wood
Email: janinewood@nexteklimited.com
Tel: +44 (0)7831582659
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
STL Expands Its Optical Connectivity Portfolio in the US with the CONCAT Solution17.7.2026 15:24:00 EEST | Press release
STL Optical Connectivity NA, LLC, (STLOC), a U.S. subsidiary of STL (Sterlite Technologies Ltd.) [NSE: STLTECH], a leading connectivity solutions provider for AI-ready digital infrastructure, today announced that it launched its new advanced FTTH solution, CONCAT, after successfully completing field trials on the networks of one of the largest telecom service providers in the United States. Following successful field validation, CONCAT is now available to digital infrastructure providers seeking faster fiber rollouts with reduced deployment complexity and labor. It enables up to 71% in labor cost savings by eliminating most field splicing through factory-assembled, pre-connectorized fiber segments that deliver plug-and-play installation. CONCAT simplifies fiber deployment by shifting critical fiber preparation and termination into a controlled manufacturing environment ensuring consistent quality, faster installation, and lower operational risk in the field. CONCAT solution is ideal fo
China's ~$900B Live-Commerce Market Now Approaches US E-Commerce Scale17.7.2026 13:30:00 EEST | Press release
The center of gravity in global retail has shifted East. The formats now driving the fastest growth in global retail (live shopping, social commerce, and delivery in minutes) were pioneered and scaled in Asia, and most Western consumers have yet to adopt them. According to NIQ (NYSE: NIQ), a leading consumer intelligence company, in its global report The Commerce Revolution: Where East Meets West, the gap between East and West is still vast. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260717253489/en/ China´s USD 900bn live shopping boom now approaches the scale of the US E-commerce The scale is already substantial. China's live-commerce market alone was worth roughly $900 billion in 2025, approaching the size of the entire US e-commerce market, according to market data cited in the report. Yet 68% of consumers in North America and 67% in Europe have never once bought a product through social media, and roughly two-thirds
Aqemia and Sanofi Expand Their Research Collaboration17.7.2026 13:30:00 EEST | Press release
Aqemia, the drug invention company combining generative AI and quantum-inspired physics to invent small molecule drugs, today announced the expansion of its multi-year research collaboration with the global pharmaceutical company, Sanofi. The expansion is marked by the nomination of a new therapeutic target and an additional payment. The collaboration, first announced in December 2023, makes Aqemia eligible to receive up to a total of $140 million in upfront and milestone payments across programs. It spans the drug discovery journey from the identification of the very first hits to the selection of a development candidate. Aqemia leverages Qemi, its proprietary physics-based generative AI platform, to design novel molecules addressing Sanofi’s targets of choice, working in close collaboration with Sanofi scientific teams. Sanofi leads wet lab research, development and commercialization. The collaboration now runs across continents, between Aqemia researchers in Paris and London and San
Ant International’s Alipay+ Connects Argentina's National QR Payment Scheme via PVS, Enabling for Cross-Border Digital Payment Nationwide at Millions of Merchants17.7.2026 13:17:00 EEST | Press release
Alipay+, a global digital payment gateway under Ant International, today announced that it will enable global travellers to make QR code payments at millions of merchants across Argentina through integration with the country's national QR payment scheme Transferencias 3.0, in partnership with PVS, a fintech company specialized in developing customized payment solutions in Latin America. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260717276406/en/ By connecting to Argentina's national QR payment scheme, Alipay+ now enables global travellers in the country to make convenient QR code payments at merchants nationwide. This service helps to enhance global travellers' travel experiences in Argentina, allowing them to pay seamlessly at restaurants, malls and tourist attractions. Using an Alipay+ partner payment app, they can now scan the national QR code displayed at all merchants to make cross-border payments across Argentina,
KATE Launches "KABUKE: Break Convention" Kabuki-Inspired International Campaign17.7.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
Global cosmetics brand KATE launched “KABUKE: Break Convention,” a new international campaign drawing on elements of Kabuki, the traditional Japanese performing art. The campaign debuted on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. In this campaign, KATE’s shadow enhancing makeup—rooted in Japanese aesthetics—was paired with the Kabuki spirit inherited from traditional Kabuki theater to communicate the value of individuality and self‑expression through makeup on a global scale. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260708829427/en/ KATE international campaign “KABUKE: Break Convention” key visual. Dedicated website: https://www.kate-global.net/my/special/kate_kabuki/ Since its founding, KATE has championed the slogan “NO MORE RULES.,” offering makeup that defies convention and empowers individuals to express their identity and bring out confidence. At the heart of this vision is the brand’s signature shadow enhancing makeup approach
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom