Functional Barrier

In the sense of a circular economy, packaging should be designed to be recyclable and, if possible, also contain post-consumer recyclates. However, as with packaging made of virgin material, no substances that endanger the health of the consumer may enter the food from packaging containing recyclates. This can be ensured, for example, by functional barriers. However, there are no recommendations or specifications on how the effectiveness of the functional barrier should be tested. The situation is further complicated by the fact that there are many different types of functional barriers, which have specific advantages and disadvantages. This leads to uncertainty in the use of post-consumer recyclates with regard to the correct evaluation methods. In the IVLV project, the procedure for the assessment of functional barriers will be demonstrated experimentally and described in detail using examples. Based on the results, a guideline for the assessment of post-consumer recyclates behind functional barriers will be developed (IVLV leaflet).