kp secures five-year rPET supply deal with Viridor as recyclate demand surges

04 Dec 2019 --- Global fresh food protective packaging supplier Klöckner Pentaplast (kp) has agreed a “transformative” five-year collaboration with Viridor, the largest UK-owned recycling, renewable energy and waste management company, through which Viridor will supply 8,000 metric tons of post-consumer recycled PET (rPET) to kp annually. The agreement will be fulfilled by Viridor’s new £65 million (US$85 million) Avonmouth Resource Recovery Centre, which will make kp its largest rPET flake customer and subsequently, its largest buyer of rPET flake in the UK.

The Viridor agreement is said to strengthen a long-standing partnership and secure a stable supply of post-consumer material, which is fundamental to driving change at scale for an improved recycling system in the UK. As part of kp’s Positive Plastics Pledge, launched in 2018, the supplier aims to use only materials that are “practically recyclable or sustainably sourced” by 2028.

In the first two years, Viridor’s largest UK multi-polymer processing plant will produce 60 kilotons (KT) of recycled plastics from 81KT/year feedstock, consisting of 1.6 billion bottles, pots, tubs and trays. The recycling specialist plans to raise volume to 63KT from 1.7 billion bottles, pots, tubs and trays in year three, increasing volume year on year. From this, 8,000 metric tons a year of the recovered and processed post-consumer rrPET will be supplied to kp.

Last week, Viridor announced that UK multinational chemicals company INEOS will also be supplied with recovered polymers from its specialist Avonmouth Resource Recovery Centre near Bristol. The facility is powered by Viridor’s £252 million (US$325 million) energy recovery plant that puts non-recyclable waste to work to produce electricity and heat.

“We are thrilled to announce this extended agreement with Viridor, which has been a significant partner of kp’s for many years,” says Adam Barnett, President of the Food Packaging division for kp.

As part of kp’s Positive Plastics Pledge the supplier aims to use only materials that are “practically recyclable or sustainably sourced” by 2028.“We have celebrated the first successful year of our Positive Plastics Pledge and are proving that plastic is a valuable material and when managed responsibly through the right infrastructure, can be collected, sorted and recycled into sustainable, recyclable packaging, while maintaining food safety, security and ultimately preventing food waste. We are engaging consumers through our on-packaging messaging, advising them that the food they buy is packaged with protective material made from 100 percent rPET, and is recyclable.”

“We also want to take our partnership with Viridor to the next level of circularity as we continue to meet our common goals in true closed-loop tray to tray recycling. As a strong and stable end market, kp is driving change at scale for a circular future,” Barnett notes.

In November, kp launched kp Infinity, a “first to market” recyclable polypropylene packaging for the foodservice and food-to-go sector. kp Infinity is microwavable, lightweight, durable, water-resistant and resistant to acids, alkalis and hot oils.

Simon Hicks, Managing Director of Recycling for Viridor, said the agreement with kp was part of the company’s continuing commitment to translating circular economy ambitions into a practical reality in the UK. “Viridor has listened to the feedback it has received in its annual UK Recycling Index, which tracks public sentiment on recycling. UK residents want their recycling efforts at home rewarded with clear evidence that plastic which has been designed to be recyclable and can be returned to the economy. This is what the partnership with kp will accomplish.”

“[This partnership] demonstrates that plastic is not only an extremely versatile and valuable resource. Both companies have extremely high standards in terms of sustainability commitments, and this is how we deliver significant environmental and economic benefits,” adds Keith Trower, Resource Management Managing Director for Viridor.

rPET boom begins
The UK’s December General Election will inevitably center on Brexit, but another policy issue growing in significance is the global plastic waste crisis and the UK’s role in it. This is evidenced by the fact that the UK’s three major parties have all bolstered their manifestos with strategies to improve plastic waste management. For example, all three parties have pledged to end the export of plastic waste while the introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility, Deposit Return Schemes and investment in recycling infrastructure are also being promised.

Meanwhile, Coca-Cola Sweden recently announced plans to source the entirety of material for its plastic bottles from 100 percent rPET, beginning in the first quarter of 2020. The move will make Sweden the first country worldwide where all Coca-Cola plastic bottles are made entirely from rPET.

Also in rPET developments, KHS introduced the first recyclable juice bottle made of 100 percent rPET at the K 2019 show in Düsseldorf, Sabert unveiled foodservice packs made from 100 percent high-grade, post-consumer PET bottle flake, and Coexpan launched CorePET, the supplier’s first 100 percent rPET food-grade sheet, specifically formulated for the thermoforming market.

By Joshua Poole