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New Carton is a Sippable, Circular Success

Zotefoams goes full speed ahead on the commercialization of ReZorce, its endlessly recyclable mono-material beverage carton.

Joanna Cosgrove, Freelance Writer

October 4, 2024

3 Min Read
The ReZorce mono-material barrier packaging range.
Zotefoams

At a Glance

  • The new carton option targets recyclability, made of 95% HDPE, some EVOH, and tethered PE caps.
  • The carton's multi-layered polymer sheet material feels, folds, and prints like paperboard.

A new 100% recyclable package is on track to give traditional beverage cartons a run for their money. The ReZorce beverage carton is a mono-material barrier package with a unique construction made for easy household recycling and sorting through standard streams in material recovery facilities not just once, but many times over.

ReZorce cartons consist of more than 95% HDPE, chosen for its recyclability in standard recycling streams, plus a bit of EVOH. Tethered caps applied to the cartons are also made from polyethylene so they can be recycled together with the carton.

Unique structure performs like paper.

But the technology that sets ReZorce apart hinges on a multi-layered polymer sheet material that feels and folds like paperboard and can be decorated with surface printing. The carton’s unique construction is created using a microcellular foaming technology owned and licensed by Zotefoams that injects atmospheric gases into plastic extrusions during the melt phase to create a foamed core bounded by solid skins.

Multiple internal layers can be created with different degrees of foaming, with the microcellular structure creating an inherent physical barrier to the passage of oxygen and moisture, explains Neil Court-Johnston, President, MuCell Extrusion LLC, which produces the microcellular foaming technology used in the manufacture of ReZorce. He adds that the material has been tested by recyclers Biffa and Veolia to confirm that it can be sorted through standard streams in material recovery facilities.

EPR schemes are rolling out.

“Significantly, as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes are rolled out in various countries, we can also incorporate up to 70% post-consumer recyclate within the core of the material, which is attractive in terms of fee mitigation,” says Court-Johnston. He adds that virgin polymer is still used for the outer layers to comply with food safety regulations.

“Overall, ReZorce has barrier properties that are the same as or better than a traditional beverage carton,” he says. “This was also proven with our commissioned independent life cycle analysis, which also demonstrated that compared to an LPB [liquid packaging board] package used for the same application, a ReZorce carton uses 53% less energy, 51% less water, and has a 55% lower global warming potential, in a scenario where both cartons are recycled.”

Neil Court-Johnston, President, MuCell Extrusion LLC

Targeting 100 million cartons by mid-2025.

Last year Zotefoams announced a joint development agreement with Refresco to develop ReZorce using a machine designed for traditional composite beverage cartons, modified with a proprietary change parts kit. Refresco will also conduct in-market trials via a European retailer. Südpack Verpackungen SE & Co. KG is providing a target capacity of up to 100 million ReZorce cartons annually, a goal it expects to reach in mid-2025.

“ReZorce cartons are now being produced at scale in one of Refresco’s facilities in Europe, using a machine designed for traditional composite beverage cartons, modified with a proprietary change parts kit,” Court-Johnston reports. “We’re working closely on quality and compliance testing procedures required for commercial production, which we expect to complete during Q4, with ReZorce cartons on shelves very shortly afterward.”

Given the ongoing challenge associated with beverage package recycling, he believes ReZorce is poised to have disruptive cross-market potential. “Beyond categories such as juices and dairy, we believe there is significant potential in laundry and household products, for example,” he says. “Our debut format is a 1.5-liter brick, but we will also offer 1-liter and portion packs–and that’s before we count formats such as trays, pouches, and flexible packaging.”

The company is currently in conversation with a variety of companies to grow the development of ReZorce and will be exhibiting at Pack Expo in November.

About the Author

Joanna Cosgrove

Freelance Writer

Joanna Cosgrove has enjoyed writing about the packaging industry for more than 20 years.

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