Alpla expands PET recycling in Poland as EU regulation drives regional demand

11 Jul 2023 --- Alpla is expanding its recycling plant in Radomsko, Poland, to secure the long-term supply of food-grade recycled PET (rPET) and meet consumer demand in Central and Eastern Europe. The plastic packaging manufacturer plans to invest approximately €8 million (US$8.78 million) in a third extrusion line at the site.

The expansion will increase the company’s annual food-grade rPET pellets production capacity from 30,000 to 54,000 metric tons. Alpla says its move makes the PET Recycling Team (PRT) Radomsko one of the largest recycling plants of its kind in Europe.

“PRT Radomsko has stood for top quality and excellent operational performance for over ten years. The site’s expansion confirms our highly motivated team and strengthens our position in the market,” says Alpla’s plant manager, Marcin Jabłoński.

“With this investment, we are targeting the Polish market in particular and ensure that sufficient rPET is available to our customers,” adds Beata Szynkiewicz-Razik, commercial director of PRT Radomsko at Alpla.

Optimizing the recycling process
Alpla processes used PET bottles into food-grade recycled PET material at the PRT Radomsko.By 2025, PET beverage bottles in the EU should contain at least 25% post-consumer recycled material. Alpla says its expansion of the site in Poland creates the basis for meeting the EU requirements in the regional markets. 

“Alpla stands for sustainable packaging solutions made of plastic. As a system provider, we develop products optimized for recycling, process high proportions of recyclate in production and take care of efficient recycling,” explains Dietmar Marin, managing director of the recycling division at Alpla.

“With our global focus on recycling and our commitment in Central and Eastern Europe, we significantly contribute to the regional bottle-to-bottle cycle.”

Alpla will create 12 jobs, expanding the team to over 100 employees. The company invests around 50 million euros annually in the global growth of its recycling activities.

Recycling revolution
Last month, Alpla announced the “first” recycling plant in Ballito, South Africa. The total annual production capacity of all recycling companies and collaborations is around 266,000 metric tons for rPET and 74,000 metric tons for recycled HDPE.

Construction will start this summer and completion is planned for autumn 2024. The plant is part of Alpla’s €60 million (US$65 million) investment in strengthening the region’s circular economy.

“With lighthouse projects such as reusable PET, bottles made from 100% rPET and the recent start of production at the joint venture recycling plants ENVICCO, Thailand, and PET Recycling Team Targu Mures, Romania, the company is fully on track,” Alpla asserts. 

Mariusz Musiał, country manager of Poland at Alpla, adds: “We actively work with customers to create closed loops for PET packaging and accompany them on their sustainability path. To this end, we are taking care of meeting tomorrow’s needs today and already have some excellent examples in reality.”

Edited by Sabine Waldeck