Started last May at the Green Plast trade fair in Rho, the REINHOLDS project has now entered its central development phase: the Alta Scuola Politecnica and Greenchemicals are advancing their second collaboration dedicated to Tetra Pak® recycling, seven months after the kick-off that brought together students and industry partners.
Reinholds: when packaging becomes opportunity
To understand the Reinholds project, it is essential to start from the nature of Tetra Pak®, one of the most widespread packaging solutions in the food and beverage industry. Its multilayer structure consists of paper, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and aluminium — a combination that ensures long shelf life, transport lightness and protection for perishable products. The recycling process for this material involves two key steps: on the one hand, the separation of cellulose fibres, which are then reused to produce new paper; on the other, the management of the polyAl residue, the mixture of LDPE and aluminium that is more complex to valorise due to the aluminium’s impact on the plastic component.
It is precisely this residue that the Reinholds project (REcycle INnovative of Tetrapak® for HalOgen-free fLame-retarDant) focuses on. The goal is to assess the feasibility of extruding the LDPE+polyAl material to fully convert the polyAl into aluminium hydroxide, a potential non-halogenated flame retardant suitable, for example, for the cable sector.
Academic partners in the project are the students of ASP, while on the industrial side the initiative involves Greenchemicals – specialised in additives for the plastics industry – and the Crosspolimeri Group, active in cable compounds and comprising Crosspolimeri SpA, Crosspolimeri AG Schweiz, Eurocompound Srl and ReCross Srl.
A 360-degree multidisciplinary project
A group of six students is working on Reinholds: Riccardo Sandon, Matteo Capolli, Eleonora Esposito, Sophie Vigè, Sophie Gorrex and Marco Urro.
They are coordinated by professors Lidia Castoldi (Politecnico di Milano) and Fabio Alessandro De Orsola (Politecnico di Torino).
Supporting them in laboratory activities at Polichem in Garlasco are three Greenchemicals professionals: Micaela Lorenzi (CEO), Barbara Chinello (R&D and Technical Manager), and Valentina Pelliccioli (Regulatory and R&D Technician).
The project requires a multidisciplinary approach: beyond verifying the chemical feasibility, the students must analyse the overall process costs, identify concrete applications, engage with recyclers to assess interest and practical challenges, involve stakeholders, study the halogen-free flame retardant market and develop a solid business model.
Riding the momentum of ORACLE
Research is still ongoing, but expectations are high, also in light of the preliminary results obtained.
The previous project, Oracle — awarded as the best Alta Scuola project in 2024 — demonstrated both Greenchemicals’ strong commitment to research and the relevance of its proposals within the plastics recycling sector.
The Reinholds project will continue in the coming months with laboratory testing, market analysis and additional investigations. The students’ final discussion is scheduled for September 2026.
Greenchemicals highlights the importance of initiatives like this, which address concrete needs for both industry and end users, fully aligning with the company’s sustainability values.
greenchemicals.eu