Extrusion International USA 6-2019

24 Extrusion International 6/2019 INDUSTRY NEWS HDPE Recycling – Acquisition ALPLA, the global manufacturer of plastic packaging solu- tions, is further expanding its recycling activities – it is moving into polyolefin recycling with its acquisition of two companies based in Spain. With two of its own PET recycling plants in Austria and Poland (PET Recycling Team) and joint ventures in Mexico and Germa- ALPLA www.alpla.com ny, ALPLA has long been an established partner in the field of PET recycling. These operations currently have an annual capac- ity of 70,000 tonnes. ALPLA is now taking the next step by buy- ing two HDPE recycling plants. ALPLA signed the purchase agreements for the acquisition of Suminco S.A. in Montcada (near Barcelona) and Replacal S.L. in Palencia (north of Madrid) in October. Both businesses belong to a Spanish family-owned enterprise with more than 35 years of experience in manufacturing HDPE recyclates. The annual capacity of the plants, which have a workforce totalling 50, will be expanded to 35,000 tonnes. The businesses will continue to operate under the existingmanagement. To date, a large proportion of Suminco and Replacal’s HDPE re- cyclates has gone into the manufacture of corrugated pipes for sewage systems and other industrial applications. ALPLA now intends to use suitable recyclates for packagingmanufacture. New Initiative „Choose Plastic“ With a goal of educating consumers, customers and other stakeholders on the benefits of plastic packaging, Amcor recent- ly launched a “Choose Plastic” marketing campaign. The multi- pronged initiative, which includes a new webpage, an informa- tive brochure and other materials, is designed to: • Tell the “PET story” with truth, strength and conviction – clear- ing up commonmisperceptions regarding plastic packaging. • Demonstrate where PET stands versus other packaging types, including glass, cans and Tetra aseptic boxes. • Help customers educate their employees, legislators and con- sumers on the benefits of plastic packaging. “Plastic packaging gives our customers a safe, responsible and recyclable way to deliver products to their consumers,” said Eric Roegner, President of Amcor Rigid Packaging (ARP). “PET is infi- nitely recyclable* and it’s carbon footprint is less than glass and other packaging materials. But there is still room for improve- ment, which is why we are working together with our custom- ers and industry partners to boost recycling rates, increase the proportion of recycled content in the plastics we use, and reduce the waste in landfills and nature. Our goal is to create an overall positive impact for all stakeholders.” Not only are PETbottles and jars lightweight, shatterproof, trans- parent, recloseable and resealable, studies also show that they are infinitely recyclable, generate up to 70% less greenhouse gas emissions than other packaging types**, require fewer fossil fu- els to produce than aluminumcans*** and have fewer transpor- tation costs than glass 1 . Additionally, 90% of the PET that goes into recyclingbins gets recycled 2 , while only 49%of cans 3 , 40%of glass 2 and 16%of Tetra aseptic boxes4 get recycled. Eric Roegner also noted that 97% of Amcor Rigid Packaging’s bottles and jars are designed to be recyclable. The company has Amcor www.amcor.com/chooseplastic pledged to develop all of its packaging to be recyclable or reus- able by 2025. In addition, Amcor is working with associations such as The Plas- tics IndustryAssociation, NAPCOR, andTheRecyclingPartnership topromote plastics, increase recycling rates anddrive greater use of post-consumer materials. Amcor is alsoworkingwith environ- mental organizations, such as the World Wildlife Fund and the Trash Free Seas Alliance to eliminate plastic waste. (*with existing technologies, including chemical recycling. **Ver- sus aluminum cans and glass. ***Amcor Life Cycle Analysis 1 Goldman Sachs The Plastic Paradox, 2017. 2 In the U.S., NAPCOR Recycling Report, 2017. 3 https://resource-recycling.com/recy- cling/2019/09/17/aluminum-can-recycling-rate-increases-after- down-year/. 4Waste AdvantageMagazine, May 31,2019. Break- ing ThroughMisconceptions.) In the UK, ALPLA uses 13,000 tonnes of rHDPE every year for the production of milk and juice bottles (Copyright: ALPLA)