Extrusion International 3-2021

20 Extrusion International 3/2021 INDUSTRY NEWS Joining the Circular Plastics Alliance „ Clariant announced it has of fi cially joined the EU Circular Plastics Alliance. The alliance aims to enhance plastics recy- cling in line with the objectives of the EU Circular Economy Action Plan and the Green Deal program. Clariant’s engage- ment is part of the company’s active support for the transi- tion towards a more circular plastics economy. Clariant is committed to the Alliance’s goal to boost the EU market for recycled plastics to 10 million tons by 2025. The company’s focus is on addressing the obstacles that are ham- pering a higher circularity of products within the plastics value chain, in line with the waste hierarchy principles. Clari- Clariant www.clariant.com ant’s strategy is based on a smart combination of design for reduction, recycling, and reuse options, as well as solutions for mechanical or chemical recycling. In 2019, Clariant also established EcoCircle, a company-wide initiative that goes beyond a product focus, looking at the entire value chain, identifying the most sustainable and vi- able solutions for a circular plastics economy. „ A decade of successful collaboration between FKuR and India’s SKYi, acting as distributors of the FKuR bioplastics range, has laid the foundation for a promising presence in the Indian market. Both companies fi nally established the SKYi FKuR Biopolymers Pvt Ltd joint venture at the end of 2019 to further strengthen their cooperation. The local production of biodegradable, partially bio-based plastics has now begun. This is a further step in implement- ing the FKuR mission to leave the world a little better than we found it by using sustainable plastics solutions. The pro- duction site is located within a special industrial zone in Chakan in the Pune district of the state of Maharashtra. This zone accommodates over 2000 large and small companies. The joint venture produces a signi fi cant part of the Bio- Flex® product range for local demand as well as for distri- bution to neighbouring regions. This makes the JV the fi rst dedicated manufacturer of compostable biopolymer com- pounds in India. Patrick Zimmermann, member of the executive board of FKuR Group explains this strategic step: “After our partici- pation at Plastindia 2012, it was clear to us that the Indian continent is a strategically important bridgehead and a hub for our products in Asia and Africa as well.” In addition, Carmen Michels, also a member of the FKuR Group executive team and one of the four directors of the JV adds, “Given the global drive to reduce consumption and disposal of single-use plastics, reduce plastic waste and adopt sustainable solutions, the demand for compostable plastics is also growing in these regions, with a focus on packaging and catering applications, as well as agribusi- ness. In particular, compostable plastics can make a posi- tive contribution to waste management in India, as setting up organic recycling is in fi nitely easier and less costly com- pared to other disposal options (such as mechanical recy- cling or thermal recovery).” The plant built for this purpose will employ up to 40 people in the fi rst expansion phase. A modern compounding line is run on three shifts. In the company’s own testing labo- ratory, which contains a small blown fi lm line along with other equipment, the qualities of the incoming raw materi- als and the end products are monitored according to Ger- man standards. Joint Venture in India Established FKuR Kunststoff GmbH www.fkur.com , www.fkur-polymers.com SKYi Innovations LLP www.skyi.in , www.compostable.in Joint Venture SKYi FKuR Biopolymers started production of biodegradable, partially bio-based plastics. From left to right: Amit Jagtap (Director SKYi FKuR Biopolymers Pvt Ltd.), Nikhil Kurankar (Head of Operations, SKYi FKuR Biopolymers Pvt Ltd.), Dr. Sachin Jain (Director at SKYi FKuR Biopolymers Pvt Ltd)