Lindner, in collaboration with Procter & Gamble, presented Flexloop for the first time at K 2025. The technology adds a solvent-based extraction step to mechanical recycling to remove contaminants, including NIAS, odours, adhesives and printing inks, from polymer chains. According to the companies, the resultant purity enables new use cases for post-consumer recyclate, extending into sensitive packaging applications in cosmetics and personal care. Flexloop is designed as a modular unit that can be integrated into existing Lindner washing and recycling lines, allowing recyclers to expand capability without a full process overhaul. The development originated from discussions initiated at the previous K show and led to Lindner obtaining exclusive licensing rights to the Procter & Gamble technology with the aim of establishing an industrially scalable process. Addressing quality limitations of post-consumer and mixed plastic streams, the approach is positioned as an alternative to chemical recycling where investment and energy demands can limit commercial viability.
Process and scope
Flexloop follows preliminary mechanical cleaning and introduces a solvent-based extraction step intended to remove NIAS, such as pesticides, phthalates, dioxins and organic residues, together with odours, adhesives and inks. Lindner states the process does not attack polymer structure and delivers consistent recyclate quality suitable for higher-specification applications. Michael Lackner, Managing Director of the Lindner Group, said: "We have always wanted to advance mechanical recycling. For us, Flexloop is a logical and necessary development in mechanical recycling and an extension of cold and hot washing." He added: "This mechanical recycling technology gives recyclers a valuable tool and helps them produce recyclates for sophisticated applications, using the mechanical recycling technology they know and trust."
Lee Ellen Drechsler, Senior Vice President of Research & Development at Procter & Gamble, said: "We foresee a growing demand for high-quality recycled resin that is suitable for a wide range of flexible film applications, so we are excited for the introduction of Flexloop, an innovation our researchers developed as an option for upcycling a wide range of plastic materials through mechanical solvent extraction. The license of this plastic-to-plastic cleaning technology to Lindner is consistent with our corporate commitment to bring to scale technologies that can help address significant environmental challenges including the reduction of plastic waste and achieving a circular economy for materials."
Contamination in post-consumer waste and mixed plastics remains a central hurdle. "The difficulty of obtaining high-quality, clean recyclate is a particular problem when handling post-consumer waste and for mixed plastics from domestic and commercial collections," said Yannick Stanau, Business Development Manager at Lindner Washtech. He noted that commingled collection brings together plastics of different types and origins, creating a risk that NIAS can diffuse into polymers, for example when food packaging contacts non-food packaging during collection. "With Flexloop, we have found a solution for this problem," Stanau said.
Gian De Belder, Technical Director, Packaging Sustainability at Procter & Gamble, highlighted film applications: "It’s great to see this cleaning technology come to life. Flexloop is particularly important for a wide range of feedstocks, specifically packaging and agricultural films. The technology allows us to get a step closer to make film packaging fully circular by closing the loop, for example by producing high-quality rPE film grades that can be safely used in a new generation of film packaging aimed at sensitive packaging applications."
Integration and market implications
The Flexloop unit is modular and intended to be integrated into any Lindner washing and recycling line, enabling recyclers to leverage existing infrastructure and retrofit the cleaning step into current processes. Compared with chemical recycling, the companies position capital expenditure and operating expenses as lower. De Belder added: "The beauty of the technology is that target users are the mechanical recyclers who have an interest in upgrading the quality of their recycled resin, and they can do this simply by retrofitting their existing washing lines." Lindner and Procter & Gamble state that Flexloop addresses the requirements of brand owners and opens access for recycling companies to new product portfolios and sales markets by enabling higher-quality post-consumer recyclates for sensitive packaging.
Flexloop is the name of the new mechanical recycling technology that Lindner is presenting to recyclers at K 2025 in collaboration with P&G.
