Faerch Group opens “landmark” recycling plant in Netherlands

26 Apr 2024 --- Faerch Group is celebrating a “landmark moment” with the opening of a state-of-the-art Cirrec plant in Duiven, Netherlands, marking what the company says is a significant milestone in its journey to transform the rigid food packaging industry. 

The investment will span for five years, and Faerch has industrialized its Cirrec technology, which processes waste PET into food-grade packaging materials. Since its inception, Cirrec technology has been used to repurpose the equivalent of over 1.2 billion food trays — roughly the same amount as the entire Scandinavian market of PET tubs, pots and trays. 

Faerch says the opening will address the packaging industry’s “critical need” for handling recyclable plastic material as the value that should be used repeatedly instead of ending in landfills and incineration.

“This is not just a day of celebration for Faerch Group. It is a symbol of our commitment to reshaping a broken system and moving our industry from linear to circular business practices,” says CEO Lars Gade Hansen. 

“This transformation calls for collaborative efforts, and the invitation to our stakeholders to join us today also stands as an invitation to shape the road forward together with us.”

Opening event 
The opening event featured several keynote speakers addressing the need for “radical initiatives” aimed at safeguarding scarce resources at an appropriate pace. 

Among them was sustainability champion Paul Polman, who urged businesses to adopt a net positive approach, which requires companies to give back more to society and the environment than they take. It also challenges conventional thinking and encourages companies to play a leadership role in sustainability, according to the company. 

The net positive approach is a “long-term aspiration for Faerch,” as it attempts to steer to a wider global commodity of circular tray material for the wider industry.

Edited by Louis Gore-Langton