ALPLA claims it is continuing the global expansion of its circular economy with the expansion of its recycling plant in Radomsko (Poland). The packaging and recycling specialist is investing around eight million euros in the third extrusion line at the site. The annual production capacity will increase from 30,000 to 54,000 tonnes of food-grade PET recycling material (rPET). According to the company,this makes the PET Recycling Team (PRT) Radomsko one of the largest recycling plants of its kind in Europe.
ALPLA expands operations
Packaging specialist ALPLA is securing the long-term supply of food-grade PET recycling material (rPET) by expanding the recycling plant in Radomsko. company is investing around eight million euros in an extrusion line. Ten years after its opening, Radomsko is one of the largest recycling plants for this material in Europe with a production capacity of 54,000 tonnes of food-grade rPET pellets per year.
“ALPLA stands for sustainable packaging solutions made of plastic. As a system provider, we develop products optimised for recycling, process high proportions of recyclate in production and take care of efficient recycling. With our global focus on recycling and our commitment in Central and Eastern Europe, we make a significant contribution to the regional bottle-to-bottle cycle,” explains Dietmar Marin, ALPLA Managing Director Recycling Division.
By 2025, policy dictates that all PET beverage bottles in the EU should contain at least 25 per cent post-consumer recycled (PCR) material. With the expansion of the site in Poland, ALPLA claims it is creating the basis for meeting the EU requirements in the regional markets. “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,” emphasises Mariusz Musiał, ALPLA Country Manager Poland. “With this investment we are targeting the Polish market in particular and ensuring that sufficient rPET is available to our customers”, adds Beata Szynkiewicz-Razik, Commercial Director of PRT Radomsko.
The installation of the third extrusion line in Radomsko will create twelve additional jobs and expand the team to more than 100 employees. “PRT Radomsko has stood for top quality and excellent operational performance for over ten years. The expansion of the site is a confirmation of our highly motivated team and strengthens our position in the market,” comented Plant Manager Marcin Jabłoński.
ALPLA says it invests around 50 million euros annually in the global expansion of its recycling activities. With lighthouse projects such as reusable PET, bottles made from 100 per cent 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. This was followed in June 2023 by the announcement of the first recycling plant in Africa in Ballito, South Africa. The total annual production capacity of all recycling companies and collaborations is around 266,000 tonnes for rPET (recycled PET) and 74,000 tonnes for rHDPE (recycled HDPE).