Friday December 13 2024
Swindon & Wiltshire News
A Swindon company whose innovative new technology converts plastic waste back into oil has joined forces with energy company Total and global brands Nestlé and Mars to develop an industrial chemical recycling industry in France.
The new consortium has been formed in response to a call for projects made by French packaging compliance scheme Citeo to promote eco-design and recycling and recovery projects for plastic and paper.
The consortium – the first of its kind – will examine the technical and economic feasibility of recycling complex plastic waste, such as small, flexible and multilayered food-grade packaging. These products are currently considered non-recyclable and are therefore either incinerated or disposed of in landfills.
One such solution could be Swindon-based Recycling Technologies’ RT7000 machine, which is able to turn un-recyclable plastic waste into a crude oil equivalent called Plaxx
“This ambitious project meets Citeo’s goal of finding end-to-end solutions for all packaging. New recycling technologies, such as chemical recycling, will take performance to the next level and accelerate the circular economy for post-consumer plastic waste, especially when it is complex,” commented Jean Hornain, chief executive officer of Citeo.
“Our initiative will be a key driver to deliver short- and medium-term solutions.”
Bernard Pinatel, president of refining and chemicals at Total said the formation of the consortium was “an important step in our ambition to produce 30 percent recycled polymers by 2030.”
Kate Wylie, global vice president for sustainability at Mars said “In line with Mars’s Circular Packaging Plan including the goal for 100% plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025, we plan to reduce unnecessary packaging, redesign for circularity and invest to close the loop.
“Identifying and investing in the right waste management systems is a critical part of the solution to address the plastic waste problem.”
Nestlé also aims for 100 percent of its packaging to be reusable or recyclable by 2025.
Combining our expertise in a collective project to improve recycling is something we need to do to tackle the global plastic issue,” said Claudine Rosiers, head of corporate packaging at Nestlé France.
Elena Parisi, sales and marketing director at Recycling Technologies, said: “This cross-sector partnership is a great example of the industry working together to bring about the changes necessary to make plastic sustainable.
“We must carve out a clear pathway that others in the value chain will follow to boost plastic recycling capacity in France and elsewhere.”
