Heavy components, technical parts, or sensitive equipment require high stability, precise contours, and reliable product protection – often across numerous transport cycles. This is a particular challenge in industrial environments, where simple packaging solutions are often insufficient. Modern recycled materials like REFO PROTECT P from NOVAPOR offer new possibilities. Together with our customers, NOVAPOR develops sustainable industrial packaging made from recycled XPE that combines high protective performance with a significantly improved material cycle.
Industrial packaging is currently under considerable pressure to change. New regulatory requirements such as the European PPWR Regulation, increasing demands on recycling quotas, and ESG requirements from major customers are causing companies to increasingly scrutinize their packaging solutions. At the same time, however, the most important task remains unchanged: the safe transport of sensitive and heavy products.
REFO PROTECT P: sustainable protective packaging in industry
Many companies are currently caught in a dilemma. On the one hand, packaging needs to become more sustainable and meet future PPWR requirements. On the other hand, protective effectiveness, process reliability, and cost-effectiveness must not be compromised.
This was particularly difficult for heavy industrial components for a long time. High-quality protective foams often consist of virgin materials, as recycled materials were frequently considered technically problematic. Differences in density, lack of homogeneity, or limited processability meant that many recycled materials were unsuitable for technical packaging.
This is exactly where REFO PROTECT P comes in.
The material is based on carefully selected post-industrial XPE production residues and combines them with defined proportions of virgin material. This results in a recycled foam with stable properties, specifically developed for industrial applications.
Recycled XPE for heavy industrial goods
The material is particularly interesting for heavy products and technical components. This is because these are precisely the areas where large quantities of material are often used in packaging – and therefore offer great potential for more sustainable solutions.
A typical application involves heavy metal or machine components that need reliable protection during transport and storage. Especially with reusable packaging, massive foam inserts are frequently used to absorb impact loads and securely fix components in position.
This is where Recycling-XPE can really show its advantages.
Due to its high material stability, REFO PROTECT P is ideally suited for large-volume contoured parts, intermediate layers, or heavy-duty protective cushions in industrial containers. At the same time, the characteristic material structure ensures a robust and durable surface.
Practical example: Reusable packaging for heavy industrial components
NOVAPOR developed a sustainable packaging solution for heavy technical components for an industrial customer, which are transported between several production sites across Europe.
The challenge was to combine high mechanical stress with the most sustainable material strategy possible. At the same time, the packaging had to be reusable and allow for precise positioning of the components.
Custom-made foam inserts made from recycled XPE were used. The components are held securely in place and protected against slippage and impacts. Due to the material's thickness, this concept is particularly suitable for heavy components with sensitive surfaces.
The result was a robust reusable packaging with a significantly reduced proportion of virgin materials – without compromising product protection.
Why recycled materials often fail in technical packaging
Many companies have already had experiences with recycled materials that proved unsatisfactory in everyday industrial use. Common problems include:
- fluctuating material qualities
- poor welding or processing properties
- uneven densities
- low load-bearing capacity
- unstable surface structures
Especially with heavy products, such fluctuations can quickly become critical.
REFO PROTECT P therefore pursues a different approach. Through the targeted selection of controlled XPE material streams and a specialized processing and splitting process, a homogeneous material with defined density and stable properties is created. This allows the material to be reliably processed further – for example by waterjet cutting, milling or contour machining.
PPWR, recycling rates and future requirements
The new European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) increases the requirements for packaging in almost all industrial sectors.
This is not just about recyclability, but increasingly also about:
- Recycled material content
- Material transparency
- Circular economy
- documented material conformity
- sustainable packaging concepts
REFO PROTECT P already meets important requirements for future needs. The material is based on post-industrial recycling streams and contains a defined recycled content of 50 percent by weight.
In addition, various regulatory evidence is available, including:
- REACH compliance
- RoHS compliance
- PFAS-related assessments
- Independent REMADE certification of the recycled content
For industrial companies, this ability to provide proof will become increasingly important in the future – especially with international customers and larger tenders.
Closed loop instead of disposal
The topic becomes particularly interesting with regard to future circular economy concepts. Many companies inevitably produce production waste when processing PE foams. In the past, this waste was often disposed of or used for energy recovery.
However, modern recycling processes allow such material residues to be returned to the material cycle. This offers several advantages:
lower raw material consumption
reduced CO₂ footprint
better resource utilization
lower disposal costs
This can make a significant difference, especially with large packaging volumes for heavy products.
Recycled XPE for technical applications in the infrastructure sector
The applications of recycled XPE are no longer limited to traditional packaging solutions. Thanks to its high material stability and robust structure, the material is now also suitable for technical applications subject to consistently high loads.
A current use case for NOVAPOR is in the field of railway infrastructure and track construction. Here, specially manufactured elements made from recycled XPE are used in technical installation situations beneath railway tracks. The demands placed on the material are considerable: continuous pressure load, moisture, dirt, temperature fluctuations, and long-term stability in outdoor applications.
It is precisely in such applications that the advantages of homogeneous and controlled recycled materials become apparent. The material offers high dimensional stability, is comparatively lightweight, and can be machined with precision.
Furthermore, the use of recycled materials supports the increasing sustainability requirements of many infrastructure and industrial projects. Particularly with large quantities of material, this results in significant potential savings in terms of resource consumption and CO₂ footprint.
Sustainability without compromising product protection
Sustainable packaging in industry must not only look good or deliver good performance indicators. Crucially, it must function effectively in everyday use. Therefore, NOVAPOR always develops packaging solutions from the perspective of actual application:
How high are the levels of stress?
What transport routes will be created?
How sensitive is the product?
How often is the packaging used?
Only then can the appropriate solution be found.
Recycling-XPE such as REFO PROTECT P opens up new possibilities for more sustainable industrial packaging – especially for heavy products, technical components and reusable concepts.
Because modern recycled materials now show that sustainability and high product protection do not have to be mutually exclusive.