As businesses work to reduce the environmental impact of their supply chains, industrial packaging has an important role to play. However, increasing recycled content cannot come at the expense of product protection, safe handling or regulatory compliance.
As Ireland’s official distribution partner for SCHÜTZ, Industrial Packaging provides access to the manufacturer’s range of IBCs, plastic drums, steel drums and jerricans. This includes SCHÜTZ Green Layer Technology, which incorporates high-quality recycled plastic into a multi-layer packaging structure.
What is Green Layer Technology?
SCHÜTZ Green Layer packaging uses a three-layer construction. The inner and outer layers are made from virgin high-density polyethylene (HDPE), while the middle layer contains high-quality recycled HDPE, known as regranulate.
The recycled material accounts for 30% of the IBC inner bottle or drum body. Because it is enclosed within the middle layer, both the packaged product and the external environment come into direct contact only with virgin material.
This allows recycled plastic to be incorporated into IBCs and plastic drums without changing the surfaces that directly contact their contents.
A controlled recycling process
SCHÜTZ collects used IBC inner bottles, PE drums and HDPE jerricans through its collection network, including the SCHÜTZ TICKET SERVICE. The packaging is pre-sorted and cleaned before being processed at the company’s own recycling centres.
The material passes through several stages, including shredding, cleaning, degassing, colour sorting and regranulation. Its density, melt index and tensile strength are tested during production to support consistent material quality.
According to SCHÜTZ, all recycled plastic recovered through this process is reused in components for its own packaging. This creates a controlled material cycle extending from collection and recycling to the production of new packaging.
What are the benefits?
Green Layer products have the same standard specifications and hazardous goods approvals as the corresponding SCHÜTZ packaging made from virgin HDPE. UN-approved versions are available, making the technology suitable for many applications where tested packaging performance and regulatory compliance are essential.
Using recycled HDPE also reduces demand for virgin plastic and lowers the packaging’s carbon footprint. SCHÜTZ reports additional CO₂ savings of more than 6.8 kg per Green Layer IBC. Its 220-litre Green Layer tight-head drum provides a stated saving of 3.8 kg of CO₂.
Green Layer IBCs and drums
Green Layer Technology is available in the 1,000-litre SCHÜTZ ECOBULK MX. Depending on the pallet configuration, recycled plastic may also be used in components such as pallets and corner guards, further increasing the overall proportion of recycled material.
The technology is also available across selected SCHÜTZ tight-head plastic drums and open-top plastic drums. In each case, recycled material is incorporated into the middle layer, while the inner and outer surfaces are made from virgin HDPE.
For businesses looking to reduce their reliance on virgin plastic without compromising packaging quality or safety, Green Layer Technology offers a practical step towards a more circular supply chain.
Contact Industrial Packaging to discuss the SCHÜTZ Green Layer options available and identify the most suitable packaging for your product and operational requirements.