This InnoTalk episode—an initiative by Innoform Coaching—featured Haulwen Nicholas (CEFLEX) and was moderated by Guido Aufdemkamp (Flexible Packaging Europe, FPE). (CEFLEX)
Flexible packaging delivers strong resource efficiency and product protection, but it remains challenging to sort and recycle at scale—especially when structures include multiple layers, inks, coatings, adhesives, and functional barriers. CEFLEX addresses this gap by aligning the full value chain around practical, evidence-based guidance for packaging that can be collected, sorted, and mechanically recycled more reliably. (CEFLEX)
What CEFLEX is and why it matters
CEFLEX is a collaborative initiative that brings together stakeholders across the flexible packaging value chain—material suppliers, converters, brand owners, waste management, sorting technology, recyclers, and others—to remove technical and business barriers to a circular economy for flexible packaging. (CEFLEX)
The core idea is pragmatic: recycling outcomes are determined by the system, not by a single material choice. “Monomaterial” intentions can fail if a pack cannot be correctly identified in sorting, or if the resulting reprocess cannot produce usable recyclate. CEFLEX therefore focuses on design choices that work in real-world collection, sorting, and recycling conditions.
The D4ACE guidelines: practical design rules, continually updated
A central output is the “Designing for a Circular Economy” guidance (often referred to via the CEFLEX guidelines platform). It is intended as a practical reference for packaging teams—helping translate recyclability principles into specific design decisions that increase the likelihood of successful sorting and mechanical recycling. (CEFLEX D4ACE)
An important point from the talk: the guidance is not meant to be static. As sorting infrastructure evolves, test methods improve, and new evidence becomes available, recommendations need to be refined. This is particularly relevant as regulatory and market expectations move toward clearer proof of recyclability performance.
From consensus to evidence: the Phase 2 testing programme
A major focus of the session was the shift from expert consensus to a robust evidence base. CEFLEX’s Phase 2 recyclability and sortability testing programme generated independent data intended to strengthen design recommendations and make them more defensible for industry decision-making. (CEFLEX D4ACE)
The programme’s intent was straightforward: build transparent, comparable results on how representative flexible packaging structures behave in sorting and mechanical recycling—so designers and brands can accelerate better designs with higher confidence. (CEFLEX)
Why “sortability” is as important as “recyclability”
Even the best-designed structure cannot be recycled if it fails at the sorting stage. That makes detection and correct routing (for example via NIR-based systems) a practical gatekeeper for circularity. The session underlined that design for recycling must be anchored in the realities of sorting performance, not only in polymer chemistry.
What packaging teams can take away
Three operational lessons follow directly from the CEFLEX approach:
- Design for end-of-life from the first brief
Barrier, sealing, print, and aesthetics must be balanced with expected collection and sorting routes—otherwise redesign cycles become costly and slow. - Treat the pack as a set of “recyclability-relevant components”
Instead of debating a package as a whole, break it down into base materials, barrier layers, inks/coatings, adhesives, and functional features—then evaluate how each component influences sorting and recycling outcomes. - Use data to reduce uncertainty
Where test data exists, it can replace assumptions and help teams align internally (R&D, procurement, marketing) and externally (converter, recycler, compliance). CEFLEX’s aim is to make such evidence easier to access and apply. (CEFLEX D4ACE)
What’s next: continuous improvement and industry alignment
CEFLEX’s direction is clearly toward continuous improvement: updating guidance based on test evidence, focusing on the most relevant open questions, and strengthening alignment with wider industry efforts. CEFLEX has also communicated that findings from its work have informed European standardisation work on recyclability testing for PE and PP flexible packaging. (LinkedIn)
Conclusion
This InnoTalk episode highlighted a shift the industry increasingly needs: from good intentions to measurable recyclability outcomes. CEFLEX’s structured guidance plus large-scale testing helps packaging teams make design choices that are more likely to succeed in real collection, sorting, and mechanical recycling systems—while creating a common language across the value chain. (CEFLEX)
Haulwen Nicholas (CEFLEX)
Haulwen Nicholas is a Work Package Consultant at CEFLEX and has led CEFLEX’s Phase 2 design testing programme on sortability and mechanical recyclability of flexible packaging. (CEFLEX)
Guido Aufdemkamp (Flexible Packaging Europe, FPE)
Guido Aufdemkamp is Executive Director of Flexible Packaging Europe (FPE), the European industry association representing flexible packaging manufacturers, and he moderated this InnoTalk session for Innoform Coaching. (flexpack-europe.org)