Huhtamaki boosts India’s circular plastics economy with new advanced recycling plant

04 May 2022 --- Huhtamaki is setting up its first recycling plant in Maharashtra, India, as part of its #CloseTheLoop initiative. The site spreads across 2,000 square meters and recycles around 1,600 kg of post-consumer used flexible plastic waste per day since it became fully operational on May 2. 

The Central Pollution Board of India estimates that India generates close to 26,000 tons of plastic waste per day, and just over 10,000 metric tons per day of plastic waste remains uncollected.

The recycling plant was set up with an investment of INR90 million (US$1.18 million) as part of the Huhtamaki Foundation’s #CloseTheLoop initiative to tackle post-consumer waste and deliver a valuable secondary resource material. It will process post-consumer waste to create resin to produce refined compounds for use in household products for consumers in India.

Advanced recycling tech
The recycling plant – reportedly the first of its kind – uses advanced technology to enable the efficient sorting of post-consumer waste, hot washing to remove any contamination, extrusion with extra filtration and deodorization. This process ensures the recycled material can then be used for domestic appliances.

The Huhtamaki Foundation worked with the local community and authorities in Maharashtra, NGOs, social enterprises, and educational institutes – including Swachh, Stri Mukti Sanghtana, CIPET and ICT – to develop this plastic waste management system.Pollution in Maharashtra, India.

“The Huhtamaki Foundation has been set up to work toward conserving the environment in India with a focus on driving [environmentally] sustainable packaging solutions and driving forward the circular economy by setting up recycling schemes. It actively advocates for alternate [environmentally] sustainable plastic packaging structures, solutions and ease of recyclability,” explains Sunil Bhagwat, trustee of the Huhtamaki Foundation.

“Setting up the recycling plant is the first step the Huhtamaki Foundation has taken in the direction of driving circularity. Over the next few years, we will strive to set up similar facilities in major geographies in India. We are constantly evaluating newer recycling technologies that could be deployed.”

A charitable trust
The Huhtamaki Foundation is a charitable trust established by Huhtamaki to support environmental conservation in India and combat plastic waste.

“Its focus is on [environmentally] sustainable packaging solutions and driving forward the circular economy by setting up, amongst others, programs in environmental sustainability and recyclability, to identify, incubate and invest in opportunities designed to intercept plastics at source by collecting, sorting, processing and recycling waste so that waste gets diverted from the environment into the recycling value chain, furthering the circular economy, thereby benefiting the environment, industries and public at large,” says Marco Hilty, president for flexible packaging at Huhtamaki.

Thomasine Kamerling, executive vice president of sustainability and communications at Huhtamaki, adds: “Food packaging is instrumental in driving access to affordable food for all by ensuring hygiene and safety of food and keeping it edible for longer. While the functionality of packaging can’t be compromised, further improvements in the management of post-consumer packaging waste are essential if we are to close the loop on circularity.”

“In addition, closing the loop on waste handling and circularity will help address some of the environmental and social impacts caused by improper waste management. Sorting waste at home is recommended to prevent household waste from ending up at a landfill. By separating organic waste, plastic waste and other dry recyclables, which can be composted, recycled and upcycled, consumers can become part of the solution.”

Huhtamaki in the news
In other developments, Huhtamaki is initiating a complete divestment from all its operations in Russia after more than two months of war in Ukraine. The Finnish packaging giant says it has reached this decision after determining “the long-term outlook in Russia will prevent the realization of its growth strategy and long-term ambitions.”

The Finnish packaging and labeling company also launched a monomaterial PET blister lid free from aluminum. The Push Tab is a “first-to-market” innovation for the global pharmaceutical and healthcare industry.

Edited by Joshua Poole

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