Ross Polymer Services

Irish functional beverage brand

ROSS Polymer Services is a contract manufacturing company specialising in technical injection moulding and value-added assembly for highly regulated sectors, including medical, life sciences, semiconductor, and food packaging production.

In response to evolving EU Packaging and Packaging Waste legislation, reusable packaging has emerged as a key strategy for reducing single-use packaging in the HoReCa sector. While reusable plastic packaging is already in use, significant technical and regulatory uncertainties remain, particularly regarding the safe incorporation of recycled materials in food-contact applications.

For ROSS Polymer Services, the core challenge was the absence of application-specific evidence demonstrating whether recycled polypropylene (rPP), and in particular post-industrial recycled PP (PIR PP), could meet the performance, safety, and regulatory requirements of reusable food-contact packaging.

Key unknowns included the impact of repeated heating, contamination, washing, and decontamination cycles on material durability, chemical migration, microbial safety, aesthetic performance, and traceability. Without this data, it was not possible to confidently progress toward commercially viable reusable packaging solutions incorporating recycled content.

Technical expertise

This feasibility study was therefore required to establish baseline performance, screen suitable recycled PP grades, and systematically assess their safety and durability under simulated reuse conditions representative of HoReCa applications.The key problem areas addressed within this feasibility study were:

• Establishing baseline mechanical, thermal, chemical, and microbial performance of virgin polypropylene used in reusable packaging
• Identifying food-contact-safe recycled polypropylene grades suitable for injection moulding
• Assessing the impact of repeated heating, washing, and reuse cycles on material durability and safety
• Evaluating chemical migration compliance for recycled PP in food-contact applications
• Validating microbial decontamination effectiveness following repeated use
• Assessing the robustness of traceability features (QR code marking) under reuse conditions

Following initial technical discussions with ROSS Polymer Services, the Applied Polymer Technologies (APT) team worked closely with the company to define the key technical unknowns limiting the development of reusable food-contact packaging incorporating recycled materials. A structured feasibility study plan was agreed, ensuring that all testing and validation activities were aligned with real-world HoReCa use conditions and relevant regulatory requirements.

Read the research article here.

ROSS Polymer & APT Technology Gateway partnership

This feasibility study had a significant strategic and technical impact on ROSS Polymer Services by providing the company with robust, application-specific evidence to support the development of reusable food-contact packaging solutions incorporating recycled materials.

Through collaboration with APT, ROSS Polymer gained a detailed understanding of how its existing virgin polypropylene materials perform under repeated real-world use conditions, establishing a critical performance baseline for future product development. The study also enabled the company to confidently assess the suitability of post-industrial recycled polypropylene for reusable food-contact applications, an area previously constrained by regulatory uncertainty and lack of validated data.

The findings de-risked key aspects of material selection, food safety, and durability, allowing ROSS Polymer to make informed decisions regarding sustainable material adoption and product design. In addition, the validation of cleaning protocols, chemical migration compliance, and traceability performance strengthens the company’s ability to assure customers and regulators of the safety and reliability of its reusable packaging offerings.

By leveraging APT’s expertise in polymer characterisation, food-contact compliance, and reuse testing, ROSS Polymer is now positioned to accelerate the development of circular, reusable packaging, support customer sustainability goals, and progress toward a market ready solution with reduced technical and commercial risk.