Alpla boosts rPET and rHDPE production in Mexico and Germany in collaboration with c7-consult
27 Nov 2023 --- Alpla is demonstrating that recycled plastic reduces carbon emissions by up to 87% compared to virgin plastic material. The company operates state-of-the-art recycling plants worldwide under the brand “Alplarecycling” for the production of recycled PET (rPET) and recycled high-density PE (rHDPE).
Calculation of the product carbon footprint by the independent consultancy c7-consult provides new data for four recycling plants for rPET and rHDPE in Mexico and Germany. Carbon reductions compared to virgin materials confirm the climate protection effect of recycled plastics and the ecological importance of regional bottle-to-bottle loops, stresses Alpla.
The plastic packaging specialist invests more than €50 million (US$55 million) annually in recycling. With an installed and projected output capacity of 350,000 metric tons per year, the company says it is one of the world’s leading plastics recyclers.
“The figures confirm our path. We produce climate-friendly recycling solutions with a regional focus and convert the material into new packaging, thereby promoting the bottle-to-bottle loop. In this way, we ensure there are safe, affordable and sustainable packaging solutions all over the world,” emphasizes Georg Lässer, director of Business Development, Procurement and Sales, Recycling at Alpla.
Mexico’s circular economy
Alpla recycling produces 30,000 metric tons of rHDPE annually at its Toluca recycling plant in Mexico. Production in Toluca causes 0.69 kg of CO2 emissions per kg. This is 70% fewer emissions than with HDPE virgin material (2.32 g of CO2 emission per kg), the plastic recycler highlights.
With a plastic recyclate output capacity of 350,000 metric tons per year, Alpla is one of the world’s leading plastics recyclers.
Carlos Torres Ballesteros, Alpla’s managing director, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, says: “Recycling is a key element in packaging solutions of the future. We want to convince people of the benefits and are drawing on substantiated data. Exact analysis of our plants also enables us to improve our ecological footprint in a targeted manner.”
Alpla has been operating Latin America’s “first” PET recycling plant in Toluca since 2005. The facility has an annual production capacity of 16,000 metric tons of rPET. According to the company’s analysis, recycled plastic production causes 0.38 kg of CO2 emissions per kg, 87% less than virgin PET (2.90 kg of CO2 emissions per kg).
The rPET production capacity in Mexico will be increased to 51,000 metric tons next year. The PLANETA (Planta Nueva Ecología de Tabasco) plant in Cunduacán is currently being built in cooperation with Coca-Cola FEMSA.
Germany’s household recyclables collection
With an annual production capacity of 43,000 metric tons of rPET, Alpla recycling is one of the largest PET recycling companies in Germany.
Materials sourced from household recyclables collection are processed at the site in Bitterfeld-Wolfen. In 2019, Alpla built sorting and processing plants globally for this purpose. Recycling PET bottles from household collection leads to a slightly higher energy requirement for washing. For example, Bitterfeld-Wolfen causes 0.93 kg of CO2 emissions per kg of rPET.
The numbers show that recycled material production leads to 68% fewer emissions than virgin material. At the PET recycling site in Bad Salzuflen, recycled material production leads to 0.68 kg of CO2 emissions per kg, which corresponds to a reduction of 77%.
Edited by Natalie Schwertheim
