Packaging firm ALPLA has announced the expansion of its recycling plant in Radomsko, Poland, with the production capacity of food-grade PET recycling material (rPET) set to increase to 54,000 tonnes, up from 30,000 tonnes.
The €8 million investment will make the Radomsko facility one of the largest recycling plants of its kind in Europe, ALPLA said. The Radomsko plant has been in operation for ten years.
“ALPLA stands for sustainable packaging solutions made of plastic,"commented Dietmar Marin, ALPLA managing director, recycling division. "As a system provider, we develop products optimised for recycling, process high proportions of recyclate in production and take care of efficient recycling. With our global focus on recycling and our commitment in Central and Eastern Europe, we make a significant contribution to the regional bottle-to-bottle cycle."
EU Requirements
The investment comes ahead of new regulations at EU level that state that all PET beverage bottles should contain at least 25% post-consumer recycled (PCR) material, which needs to be implemented by 2025. ALPLA said that the new facility will help with this transition.
“With this investment we are targeting the Polish market in particular and ensuring that sufficient rPET is available to our customers”, adds Beata Szynkiewicz-Razik, commercial director of PRT Radomsko.
Expanded Workforce
The installation of a third extrusion line at the facility will create 12 additional jobs, and expand the site's team to more than 100 employees.
It forms part of around €50 million worth of investment by ALPLA in the global expansion of its recycling facilities this year, including in locations such as Thailand, Romania and South Africa.
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest packaging news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
