Indorama Ventures, AMB Spa partner to use rPET in food packaging

San Daniele del Friuli, Italy-based packaging producer AMB Spa is partnering with Bangkok, Thailand-based Indorama Ventures Public Co. Ltd. to use flake from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) trays to produce film suitable for food packaging trays, said Recyclingtoday.

The companies say the partnership aims to divert more than 150 million postconsumer PET trays away from landfills or incineration by the end of 2025. They add that new technology will allow Indorama Ventures to supply rPET flakes from postconsumer trays for AMB to use in making food-grade transparent film, increasing the recycled content sourced from trays in AMB’s end products.

“Consumers are mindful of sustainability and food safety and want a guarantee that the food trays they use are recyclable,” AMB Chief Procurement Officer Paolo Cescutti says. “The recycled material now possible through our partnership with Indorama Ventures means we can divert more plastic waste to become safe, food-grade packaging. Food processors and consumers can be confident that AMB products offer true recyclability and food safety. We are proud to be one of the pioneers in bringing this to market with Indorama Ventures’ expertise.”

After more than 72 months of research and development, Indorama Ventures says it was able to produce rPET flakes from postconsumer trays commercially at its facility in Verdun, France. The resulting recycling technology will divert millions of postconsumer PET trays from landfills or incineration, the company adds.

“Each new partnership with sustainable packaging leaders like AMB smooths the path towards a circular economy for PET trays and extends the PET lifecycle,” says DK Agarwal, deputy group CEO and executive president of the combined PET business segment at Indorama Ventures. “This means we use less raw materials while the process results in less waste and emissions. Indorama Ventures was one of the first to invest in PET food tray recyclability because we support the creation of a circular economy to prevent used products ending up in landfill or being incinerated. Having developed the technical ability, we are excited to see this process gain traction.”

As a precursor to the partnership, AMB launched its tray-to-tray recycling brand, AMB TrayRevive, in 2022, to develop infrastructure supporting recyclable packaging. The company says the project was designed to be part of its overall sustainability strategy in support of the European Union target to have all packaging be recyclable at scale and to be converted into recycled raw materials by 2035.

Indorama Ventures says this partnership fits in line with its commitment to increase PET recycling rates globally, with the goal to achieve 750,000 tons of postconsumer PET bale input every year by 2025.

We remind, Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, one of the world’s largest producers of recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) resin, announced the completion of the expansion of its recycling facility in Brazil.

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ReCircle, a Mumbai-based resource recovery company, has been certified under the Ocean Bound Plastic (OBP) certification program by France-based nongovernmental organization (NGO) Zero Plastic Oceans, in collaboration with the European Control Union, said Recyclingtoday.

According to ReCircle, the certification is an independent, third-party certification of ocean-bound plastics recycling supply chains to ensure they meet international environment, ethical and labor standards. The OBP certification program is designed to ensure that every step aligns with the highest standards:

Adequate and ethical collection: ReCircle says it responsibly collects ocean-bound plastic scrap, benefiting the environment and local communities.

Well-managed waste: The company says it handles ocean-bound plastic with care, minimizing its environmental footprint through effective waste management.

Traceability and recyclability: Recircle says it ensures traceability of commercially recyclable ocean-bound plastic waste, contributing to a circular economy.

Responsible handling of noncommercially recyclable waste: ReCircle says it diligently collects and eliminates noncommercially recyclable ocean-bound plastic, while verifying and tracing plastic credits.

ReCircle co-founder and CEO Rahul Nainani says, “At ReCircle, we believe that a sustainable future is within reach, and with initiatives like the OBP certification program, we are getting one step closer to achieving it. We are incredibly proud to be recognized for our efforts in making a positive impact on the environment."

The company, founded in Mumbai in 2016, is a resource recovery clean-tech startup and says it has diverted over 1 million metric tons of waste from oceans and landfills across 300 cities and towns in India with the help of its more than 300 collector networks.

We remind, Bayreuth researchers, led by Prof. Dr. Markus Retsch, physical chemist, develop an upcycling process that gives aluminum-plastic composite films an innovative second use. An easy-to-apply coating transforms used APL packaging into high-performance, versatile cooling films that counteract another global problem - the high energy demand for cooling systems. Aluminum-plastic composite (APL) films are very often used for food packaging, but they pose a challenge when it comes to plastic recycling.

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Polykemi, a global producer of customer-adapted plastic compounds based on both virgin and recycled raw materials headquartered in Sweden, recently held a grand opening for its new production facility in Chongqing, China, in the district of Jiangjin, said Recyclingtoday.

The ceremony was attended by members and guests from different parties and committees of the Jiangjin District, managers and employees of Polykemi China and representatives of the Polykemi headquarters.

According to the company, the opening ceremony consisted of several speeches, a ribbon cutting and entertainment. Guests were taken on a guided tour of the new plant before a meal was served.

Representatives from Polykemi’s headquarters included third-generation company owners Gustav Hugoson and Herman Hugosson, who made a speech thanking the Chinese management team and all employees for their hard work and well-executed project.

“Polykemi China made the long-term planning for investment in Chongqing more than 10 years ago,” Gustav Hugoson said during the joint speech.

Polykemi Asia Pacific General Manager Magnus Lindahl thanked the Jiangjin District and Shuangfu Industrial Park for their cooperation and support of the project. “Since entering the Chinese market in 2005, Polykemi Group has maintained continuous and stable growth and profitability, and the sales business in Chongqing has been very successful,” he said during his speech. “We will continue the great work here to create a prosperous and bright future together.”

Polykemi says its Chongqing office was founded in 2010 to develop business in the southwest region of China. After more than a decade, the company says it has achieved a good reputation with the major industrial fields in Chongqing and the nearby city of Chengdu, especially in the automobile and general machinery industries. The company adds that new projects and customer demands continue to rise in the southwest region.

“We have cooperated with some automotive customers for more than a decade,” Lindahl said during his speech. “Their development has contributed to an increased industry for automotive parts in the surrounding areas. With this second factory, we can now meet the demands and provide localized services for customers in southwest China.”

We remind, Polykemi has invested EUR 3m in four new twin-screw extruders, installed at its headquarters as well as its site in Kunshan / China. Aside from raising overall compounding capacity, the investment also raises the plastics recycling capacities of its Ystad-based subsidiary Rondo-Plast. The group also announced that it had appointed Budapest-based HSH Chemie the new distributor for the Polykemi and Rondoplast portfolio in eastern Europe.

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Covestro has completed construction on a new production facility for polyurethane dispersions (PUDs) in Shanghai, China, said the company.

Once coming on stream in the first quarter of next year, the new capacity is expected to greatly address the rising demand for environmentally compatible coatings and adhesives in Asia Pacific, serving industries ranging from automotive, construction, furniture to footwear and packaging. The plant will be producing waterborne PUDs that boast properties equal to the performance of solvent-based types, and in 2024 also grades with more circular contents.

“With this new facility we aim to offer the broadest portfolio of PUDs to support the sustainability efforts of downstream industries here in Asia Pacific,” said Dr. Thorsten Dreier, Chief Technology Officer of Covestro, at an event in Shanghai marking the mechanical completion of the plant. “The modular concept adopted in the construction phase will also enable us to implement future investment projects and build up capacity more efficiently to capture market demand.”

Housed inside Covestro Integrated Site Shanghai (CISS), the plant was built by a service provider, leveraging modular construction under controlled conditions in a hall in Nantong, Jiangsu province. The individual modules, upon completion, were transported to and assembled at the final site. This approach helps shorten the total construction lead time while making investment more efficient.

We remind, Covestro has started production in its new plant for polyurethane elastomers systems at its integrated site in Shanghai, China.

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Evonik Tasnee Marketing Company has signed an Export Credit Insurance (ECI) Policy with the Saudi Export-Import Bank (EXIM Bank), which allows the company to secure payments on international exports, and enables it to cover the risks of non-payment of the same value of products and services issued to international buyers, said the company.

This contributes to the spread of Saudi exports, and increase its chances to access new markets at the regional and international levels.

The policy was signed on Wednesday, August 23, 2023 by HE Eng. Saad A. Al-Khalab, CEO of EXIM Bank, and Eng. Abdulmuhsin Al-Muhaideb, General Manager of Evonik Tasnee Marketing Company, in the presence of Eng. Yasser Al-Daajani, Tasnee VP Commercial & Business and the board member of Evonik Tasnee Marketing Company. The signing ceremony was held in the headquarters of the Saudi Export-Import Bank in Riyadh.

HE Eng. Al-Khalab explained that the agreement comes as a continuation of the EXIM Bank’s effective role in supporting the export activities of national facilities, and enabling Saudi exports to expand and spread in the most competitive global markets, expressing his happiness in cooperation with «Evonik Tasnee Marketing», as one of the leading companies worldwide, in marketing super-absorbent polymer products produced by the Saudi Acrylic Polymers Company, with an annual production capacity of 80,000 tons.

Eng. Al-Muhaideb stressed the importance of the agreement, praising the positive role of the Saudi EXIM Bank, its active initiatives and the wide opportunities it provides to national companies, enabling them to increase their export activities, access new international markets, and supportive and enabling credit facilities for emerging sectors.

It is worth noting that the Export Credit Insurance Policy provided by the Saudi EXIM Bank provides Saudi exporters with coverage against the risks of non-payment of the international buyer, and gives many advantages, including expanding the customer base in the current markets by using the insurance cover and access to new markets, and developing the relationship and trust with importers, in addition to increasing competitiveness with international buyers.

We remind, Evonik has signed an agreement to scale up and produce custom catalyst for Rohm’s new methyl methacrylate (MMA) production plant in Bay City, Texas, USA, which is due to be opened in 2024.

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