From bags to flats, options for flexible recycled plastic

What to do with flexible plastic after use? This is the question that received five different answers this Tuesday, April 25, during the final phase of the Re-invent initiative organized by Nestlé, which seeks sustainable solutions to this problem.

And this in the context in which the company managed to collect more than 3,200 tons of plastic in 2022 – and for the second year in a row – which is equivalent to the plastic they put on the market in the same period, according to the company’s data.

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The winning idea was flexi 3a circular economy project that focuses on transforming flexible plastics into 3D prints as brand displays, office supplies and other products.

This was one of five finalist projects judged by a jury made up of Nestlé executives and the City Public Company for the Management of Innovation and Competitiveness (Épico), with which an alliance was established for this initiative.

flexi 3 It was created by Medelyne Mero and Sebastian Fuenzalida, who presented a raccoon doll and a small office diary as samples, highlighting the versatility that can be achieved with 3D printing. They won a $5,000 contest.

Pedro Ospina, Nestlé Ecuador’s vice president of legal, corporate and sustainability issues, who was part of the jury, asked the young people about the waste these products could create at the end of their use. To which they replied that due to the recycled and recyclable material from which their products are made, they could be reintroduced into the recycling process and reused as raw material without creating waste.

After receiving the award, Mero announced that with the funds received, they will start producing their proposal in order to take advantage of the income that this program can bring them. “We will start working on feasibility issues, equipment procurement and proposals to see if everything we have done is of interest to the company and we can come together and start our pilot program for all our sustainability areas that we have, talks to universities and sustainability proposals”.

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Meanwhile, Fuenzalida pointed out the small investment with which they put together the project they presented to the jury, with only $60. a young innovator, who convinced that they used 3D printing because it is adaptable to everything in terms of design, shape and density, in addition to softwareThey are very easy to get these days.

Other finalist projects focused on the production of bags, floors, kitchen utensils and the production of orthotics.

Anawa was a project presented by Aylin Wong, Kerstein Hags and María Emilia Astudillo, and deals with the production of artisan bags known in the market as Tote Bags, but transformed into Jute Bags, which contain between 20% and 30% flexible plastic.

One of the special features that caught the attention of the jury is that each bag will be hand-painted by a recognized local artist. This, according to Susana de Freitas, vice president of communications and marketing at Nestlé, who is also part of the jury, gives it a special plus for the artistry used in its preparation.

Plastic flakesrepresented by Isabel Flor and Bristol Carriel, consists of the production of veneers for the installation of anti-slip floors with patterns.

Flor and Bristol emphasized the innovation of their project and the low cost, assuring that the price per square meter will be $25, roughly $9 less than other options on the market.

Nescocina was an initiative presented by Roberto Murillo, Cristina Monge and Génesis Salvatierra, who showed how to produce kitchen utensils, such as spoons and cutting boards, from recycled flexible plastic as raw material.

They also laid out a complete marketing and customer loyalty plan through promotions through booklets, also made from recycled material.

While María Fernanda Plúas and Édgar Narváez proposed an elaboration orthosis (a kind of external support for some part of the body) low prices, and they are also environmentally friendly because they are made of 75% flexible recycled plastic.

About Re-inventa Ospina revealed that more than 120 applicants had applied. “What was required was an undertaking that would enable us to enhance and sustainably work with flexible post-consumer packaging of our products,” explained Nestlé’s executive director, who emphasized the inclusion of young people in work and entrepreneurship.

And he did not rule out Nestlé working with the winning project. “It would be ideal. We are looking for the idea that the win can be replicated and shared with different players in the industry,” Ospina said before announcing Flexi 3 as the winner.