BIO-BASED MATERIALS | PACKAGING
detect and therefore sort, even if they are crum- pled or torn, Hu-Thrams explained. These data can be used by Amazon and others to improve the recyclability of packaging. As Amazon works to lay a foundation for its
sortation system designed to fit into the existing recycling infrastructure yet be able to be trained to evolve along with the packaging waste stream. Amazon’s new vision will require adaptable sortation technology, rather than one designed for specific package or material types, Jacobsen said. Glacier’s founder and CEO, Rebecca Hu-Thrams,
said that the company’s robots are custom-built for sorting recycled materials and are designed to be affordable, to make them accessible to a wider range of MRFs. The AI-based approach uses a camera vision system with granular detection capabilities that can be trained to identify specific types of packaging. Testing of the AI-detection and robotic-sortation process validated that the system could identify and sort bioplastics packaging in a real MRF environment. Currently, the researchers are investigating what types of design factors make packaging easier to
future vision of bio-based plastics, the company sees the need for broad involvement from the value chain. For example, the company is participating in an EU collaborative project to produce bio-based materials and bio-based packaging. The TERRIFIC project (an acronym of NexT genERation circulaR bIo-based Flagship packaging) was launched in 2024 as a public-private partnership between the EU and the Bio-based Industries Consortium and is being co-ordinated by Novamont. Amazon recently announced that it is piloting bio-based bags for Amazon Fresh grocery delivery in Spain that are made from Novamont’s Mater-Bi, a family of biodegradable bioplastics made from plant-derived feedstocks, such as corn starch and vegetable oil. The bags protect against spills and condensation, are compostable, and have the potential to be efficiently recycled. Currently, the bags can be returned to Amazon drivers to be mechanically recycled in a closed-loop system. “Achieving this long-term ambition [of packag- ing made from recyclable, bio-based plastics] will not happen overnight and we can’t do it alone,” said Jacobsen. “Amazon wants to be a catalyst for the vision by demonstrating how it can work as well as getting more brands interested and growing this concept as a whole value chain.”
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
www.aboutamazon.com �
www.nrel.gov �
www.bottle.org �
https://estercycle.co �
https://endwaste.io (Glacier) �
www.novamont.com �
https://terrificproject.eu
Left: Glacier created an AI-detection and robotic- sortation process for materials recovery facilities
IMAGE: GLACIER
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