After three years of work EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) established that the process of Mälarplast and August Lundh's circular model for commercial kitchens and catering Green Loop System is safe and that the recycled material is approved for contact with food.
Green Loop is a system where plastic tableware and equipment are reused in businesses instead of being purchased and then thrown away. Through recycling, the life of the products can be extended by at least 30 years without affecting durability or strength and the model is the most environmentally friendly alternative on the market. The production and recycling of the Green Loop is carried out by Mälarplast and the model is an important tool for public organizations to become part of the circular economy. The formal approval from EFSA means that the model will be available to more businesses and August Lundh sees opportunities to expand the system to attract more players.
Summary:
The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) assessed the safety of the recycling process Green Loop System (EU register number RECYC174), a closed and controlled product loop. The input consists of washed plates of polycyclohexylene dimethylene terephthalate glycol-modified (PCTG) having been used in, e.g. canteens. The plates are ground, converted to new plates, returned to the users of the loop and used as before recycling. The management system to ensure a closed loop is critical, i.e. compliance of the origin of the input with Commission Regulation (EC) No 282/2008 and full traceability from input to final product should be ensured. The Panel concluded that the input of the process Green Loop System originates from product loops that are in a closed and controlled chain, designed to ensure that only materials and articles that have been intended for food contact are used and that contamination other than by food can be ruled out. The recycling process Green Loop System is, therefore, able to recycle PCTG plates intended for repeated use, for contact with aqueous, acidic and fatty food, at low and high temperatures.
© 2022 European Food Safety Authority. EFSA Journal published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd on behalf of European Food Safety Authority.
