Recyclability of Intelligent Cardboard Packaging

The circular economy, in which recycling plays a significant role, is increasingly becoming a primary requirement for packaging. Our research focused on the recycling of intelligent cardboard packaging. The focus of the study was to manufacture and recycle cardboard embedded with a printed RFID antenna and a thermochromic indicator and to evaluate their recyclability. The Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) method was employed to assess the recyclability of cardboard printed using digital printing techniques with integrated intelligent elements. The coarse reject and concentration following coarse screening were determined, and laboratory hand sheets were made for the adhesiveness test and visual evaluation. The fine screening procedure was performed. The acquired samples were evaluated for basic, mechanical, and optical properties. The analysis indicated that the recyclability of all examined materials was exceptionally good, confirming their suitability for normal recycling processes. Furthermore, the recycling efficiency exceeds 99% for all samples. Despite the variances in the samples, including metallic functional and thermochromic ink, they did not significantly impact the final outcome. Moreover, little variations in recyclability were seen between intelligent elements printed directly on cardboard and those printed on self-adhesive labels applied to the cardboard. The research has confirmed that the printed RFID antenna and thermochromic indicator have a negligible impact on the recyclability process and final score.