Sustainable Packaging

ALPLA Launches Recycling Brand

A truck hauling packaging waste — Image courtesy of *ALPLA*

ALPLA Group has announced after investing millions in new sites in South Africa, Romania and Thailand, as well as in a site expansion in Poland. The company is now consolidating all of its activities under the new brand ALPLArecycling.

ALPLA is focusing on mechanical recycling and has invested more than 50 million euros a year in the global expansion of its activities since 2021. Thanks to new plants, the expansion of existing facilities, joint ventures and strategic acquisitions, the annual installed and projected output capacity has since doubled to 350,000 tons of PCR material. Together with the construction of a new facility in South Africa as recently announced and the site expansion in Poland, the annual capacity amounts to 266,000 tons of rPET (recycled PET) and 84,000 tons of rHDPE (recycled HDPE).

Around 1,100 ALPLA employees work on recycling. In addition to producing rPET and rHDPE at 13 plants, including four joint ventures with regional partners, the company is focusing on developing sustainable packaging solutions with a high proportion of recycled materials, optimum recyclability and low weight.

The growing importance of the recycling sector, strong expansion and increasing demand have led to the establishment of the ALPArecycling brand and its own website. It includes information about recycling at ALPLA, the products available and the locations of the recycling plants and joint ventures. Recycling plastics reduces carbon consumption by up to 90%, reduces waste and creates value and jobs at the sites.

ALPLA currently processes 20% PCR material and aims to increase this to at least 25% by 2025. In addition, all packaging solutions are to be fully recyclable by then. The company has been part of the New Plastics Economy, an initiative of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, since 2018.

“We firmly believe in plastic as a recyclable material and in the success of closed bottle-to-bottle loops. With our commitment, we want to create infrastructure in as many countries as possible, raise awareness and thus generate added value for the environment, economy and society,” says Günther Lehner, chairman of the Company Advisory Board.