Austrian packaging solutions manufacturer Alpla and German recycling firm Fromm Plastics have agreed to expand their PET recycling partnership.
Austrian packaging solutions manufacturer Alpla and German recycling firm Fromm Plastics have agreed to expand their PET recycling partnership.
Under the new agreement, both the companies will collaborate to open an additional extrusion line at Wolfen site, a facility of Fromm Plastics’ subsidiary Texplast.
The introduction of the new extrusion line will increase its annual capacity for food-safe PET re-granulate by 15,000 tonnes to nearly 27,000 tonnes.
Alpla Recycling head Georg Lässer said: “The demand for recycled plastics is continuously increasing. In order to provide our clients with the amounts needed, we must step up our recycling activities.
“With Texplast as a partner, we have access to high-quality recyclable material in the German market.
“We are also securing ourselves expertise and experience in logistics and using the existing network with food retail.”
As a part of the expansion, Texplast is also building a new hall at the company site with an investment of €4.5m.
The facility is expected to become operational in April next year.
In July this year, Alpla and Fromm Plastics entered into collaboration in a bid to optimise recycling rates for PET as well as support carbon dioxide emissions. The partnership also help the two entities to access each other’s markets.
Texplast representative Matthias Schäfer said: “By collaborating with Alpla, we have closed the bottle cycle: We recycle the returnable goods from the food retail industry and turn them into high-quality, food-safe granulate from which Alpla produces preforms for new PET beverage bottles.
“The colourful flakes created in the process are used by Fromm for its in-house strap production.”
With employee strength of 19,300 people, Alpla produces plastic packaging items across 176 sites in 45 countries.
The company manufactures tailored packaging systems bottles, fasteners and injection moulding parts for various industry sectors including food and beverages; cosmetics and care products; household items and pharmaceuticals.