A partnership between Tetra Pak and Stora Enso will see the introduction of a large-scale carton repulping line at Stora Enso’s Ostrołęka production unit in Poland.
Tetra Pak and Stora Enso aim to triple recycling capacity of beverage cartons in Poland
The line will triple the annual recycling capacity of used beverage cartons in Poland from 25,000 to 75,000 tonnes. This will allow recycling of the entire volume of beverage cartons sold in the country as well as ones from neighbouring countries, including Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
The total investment is €29.1m. Stora Enso will invest €17m into a new repulping line that will recover the carton fibres, while Tetra Pak, along with Plastigram, will invest a total of €12.1m to build an additional line. This will recover and separately recycle the polymers and the aluminium, using a patented separation technology. Both lines will be operational by the beginning of 2023.
The separated materials will be used as raw materials for various end applications. Recycled fibres will be integrated into Stora Enso’s recycled board. The separated polymers and aluminium will be given new life in the form of different kinds of products, such as crates and foils.
The investment aims to contribute to the development of a circular economy at a country level. It will also be fully aligned with the European Green Deal.
Charles Brand, President of Tetra Pak Europe & Central Asia, said: “We are seeking opportunities across the entire recycling value chain to improve how cartons get recycled and to develop solutions that effectively recycle all packaging components, including polymers and aluminium. Therefore, I am very proud of this investment as well as of the strong partnership with Stora Enso.”Hannu Kasurinen, Executive Vice President of Stora Enso’s Packaging Materials division, added: “With this development we can advance towards a greater degree of recyclability, a critical factor in enabling a circular bioeconomy. We are delighted to join forces with Tetra Pak in what will be another important milestone towards the fully circular future we expect to realise. Moreover, as EU collection systems continue to evolve, the project holds potential to increase capacity for future excess volumes.”