Composite Packaging Materials - TX
Composite Packaging Materials
Composite Packaging Materials are materials made of two or more different material types that are permanently bonded and cannot be separated manually without damaging the material. They are designed to provide specific technical properties such as strength, barrier performance, or sealing, but they complicate sorting and recycling.
Definition
According to the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (94/62/EC, Art. 3), composite packaging is made of different materials of which one forms an outer layer and one or more form inner layers. In the IMDE model, this definition applies to the level of a Packaging Material, not to the entire packaging or packaging element.
In IMDE terms: A composite packaging material is a single Packaging Material record that represents a permanently bonded structure of two or more materials, referred to as Composite Materials.
Relation to IMDE Hierarchy
| Level | Description |
|---|---|
| Packaging System | Represents the full product packaging setup (for example, bottle + cap + label + carton). May include both composite and mono-material elements. |
| Packaging Element | A physical component of the system (for example, bottle, cap, trigger, label). Each element can consist of one or more Packaging Materials. |
| Packaging Material | The layer or substance defining the material composition of an element. A Packaging Material can be either mono-material or composite (multi-material). Composite materials may consist of several Composite Material layers (for example, PET + EVOH + PE). |
| Composite Material | Defines each layer or constituent within a composite Packaging Material, with its own material type, thickness, or weight share. |
EPR Classification
Composite materials are not a separate EPR fee class. Each composite must be reported under the dominant material type or, when no dominant material exists, under Other Materials.
| Type of Composite | Dominant Layer | Typical EPR Fee Category | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper / Plastic / Aluminium laminate | Paper | Drink Cartons (Composite) | Tetra Pak, SIG Combibloc |
| Plastic / Plastic multilayer (different polymers) | Plastic | Plastic – Rigid or Plastic – Flexible | PET/PE tray, PE/PP film |
| Paper / Plastic laminate (no aluminium) | Paper or Plastic (depending on weight) | Paper & Cardboard or Plastic | Paper bag with plastic window |
| Plastic / Metal laminate | Plastic | Plastic – Flexible | Metallized coffee pouch |
| Mixed / Non-dominant (unclear main layer) | – | Other Materials | Textile-polymer mailer bag |
Recyclability Impact
- Composite materials often hinder recyclability because they cannot be separated into pure streams.
- Plastic composites containing different polymer families (for example, PET/PE) or barrier layers (for example, EVOH, PA, Al) are classified as non-compliant for recyclability discounts.
- Paper-based composites (Drink Cartons) have dedicated collection and recycling in some EU markets.
Examples
- PET bottle with PE sealing layer and EVOH barrier (plastic composite)
- Coffee pouch (PET/Alu/PE)
- Paperboard carton with plastic window
- Paper/Alu/PE laminated drink carton (classified as Drink Carton)
Relation to Other IMDE Terms
- taxonomy:Packaging Element – component that uses one or more materials, including composites.
- taxonomy:Packaging Material – level where composite structure is modelled.
- taxonomy:Composite Material – sub-records defining each layer within a composite material.
- taxonomy:Material Classes – identifies the dominant material family used for EPR reporting.
- taxonomy:Polymer – for polymer-based composites and barriers.
