AI Technology to Help Reduce Plastic Waste in Packaging

AI to Reduce Plastic Waste in Packaging

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Packaging IVV and Process Engineering have announced plans to work with around 50 partners to build artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for improving the recyclability rate of plastic packaging. They are focusing on building data-driven design and collaborative systems, which help to bridge the gap between the supply and demand of recycled plastics.

The KIOptiPack project, which is a part of Germany’s AI application Hub on plastic packaging, is bound to use AI for optimizing packaging design and processing, which also meets the EU regulation criteria for recycled plastics. The use of AI is expected to evaluate the packaging life cycle and also suggest designs that help in reducing the environmental impact of plastic.

The project's approach also helps in connecting the data across material properties, plastic value chain, production methods, and specifications. The researchers also believe that the tools are helping to balance the functionality, manufacturing, design, and environmental impact, aiming to reach 35 recycled plastics by 2030.

Fraunhofer’s director, Andrea Buttner, said, “The integrated system evaluates packaging options and suggests designs that minimise material use while maintaining performance”. The director further added that A shared data space is crucial, “Recycled plastic is valuable, but it must be free from contaminants like inks or incompatible polymers.”

The head of Shelf Life and Packaging Modelling at Fraunhofer, Matthias Reinelt, said that AI tools are essential in high-quality recycling of plastic materials. He also mentioned the modular software the company develops, mainly characterizing and analyzing material properties.  “Our AI tool for packaging production uses as much information as possible about the recycled material to determine the optimum processing chain so that what ends up on store shelves is a sustainably manufactured yoghurt cup with homogeneous wall thickness and the desired shape,” he added.

The researchers are also analyzing the quality of the recycled materials by using chromatography, which includes the use of AI. They are focusing on preventing unsuitable and contaminated plastic materials from entering the cycle. The use of AI is also helping them to make real-time suggestions for further processing.