Amcor and Greenback commission UK’s first Enval advanced recycling module
Key takeaways
- Amcor and Greenback Recycling Technologies have commissioned the UK’s first Enval advanced recycling module at Amcor’s Heanor facility.
- The trial, supported by AEPW, aims to convert post-consumer flexible plastics into food-grade circular plastics feedstock.
- The Heanor site was selected for its recycling expertise, enabling integration of advanced and mechanical recycling.
Amcor and Greenback Recycling Technologies have commissioned the first UK deployment of Greenback’s Enval advanced recycling module at Amcor’s Heanor facility.
The companies are conducting the trial in association with the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW). The technology is said to recycle post-consumer flexible plastics into food-grade feedstock.
Philippe G. von Stauffenberg, founder and CEO at Greenback, says: “This commissioning demonstrated how collaboration and innovation can accelerate scalable circular solutions. We are proud to work with Amcor and government stakeholders to scale technologies that keep plastics in the economy and out of the environment.”
The UK’s Nature and Circular Economy Minister, Mary Creagh, comments: “This is an example of how shared action between government and the private sector can tackle the world’s plastic waste mountain through innovation, infrastructure investment, and collaboration. This commissioning reflects the government’s broader ambition to build a resilient, circular economy by reusing the plastics which already exist.”
High-tech solution
The module is financed by the AEPW. The advanced recycling process is evaluated by eco2Veritas’ traceability platform, which utilizes AI and IoT devices to collect data from the receipt of waste through to the production of pyrolytic oil.
The oil carries a digital certificate of provenance, providing data for mass-balance allocation as the oil is converted into recycled plastics.
The Heanor site has reportedly been selected due to its focus on the use of recycling technologies. The facility can convert post-consumer and industrial flexible plastic waste, via mechanical recycling, into high-quality recycled polymers. These are then used in Amcor’s flexible packaging applications across multiple markets.
Andrew Green, vice president at Amcor Flexibles EMEA, says: “The trial of this pioneering technology at Heanor reinforces our commitment to improving circularity for flexible packaging and supporting UK policy objectives for a more sustainable future.”
Last month, Amcor backed a plastics recycling project alongside the Danish Technological Institute and other industry players. The project would leverage recycling and technical expertise from its CleanStream facility in Leamington Spa, UK.
