Cologne, Amsterdam, June 4, 2024. Visitors to PRSE will be able to discover innovative recyclate solutions for plastic products and packaging at the GreenDot stand on June 19 and 20, 2024 in Amsterdam. GreenDot will be presenting high-quality recyclates from both mechanical and advanced recycling. “GreenDot combines both processes in a unique way,” emphasizes Laurent Auguste, CEO of GreenDot. “This allows us to supply recyclates made from polyolefins for a wide range of applications, from simple products to food packaging.”
Novel recyclates for use in food packaging
GreenDot is also developing innovative recyclates for plastic waste that is not suitable for mechanical recycling and for the production of food-grade recyclates. Several partners from across the flexible food packaging supply chain have worked together to launch new, premium quality snack packaging that contains 50% recycled plastic and meets stringent food contact requirements. The new packaging was launched in the UK and Ireland for Sunbites, PepsiCo’s well-known snack brand, in late 2023. The packaging is made by recycling plastic waste into food grade packaging material. This is done using an advanced recycling process, a complementary approach to mechanical recycling, which enables the recycled materials to satisfy the demanding EU regulatory requirements for applications such as food contact packaging, contact sensitive and medical devices.
GreenDot has also agreed a further partnership with PepsiCo. This collaboration represents a new approach for the value chain to provide food-grade recyclates. In addition to GreenDot, manufacturers such as Ineos, who supply the raw materials for new packaging plastics, are also part of this innovative collaboration of key players in the value chain that make it possible to develop the needed true circular economy solutions.
Laurent Auguste: “We are building an international network of plants to provide the raw materials needed for the widespread use of these processes. This will enable our customers to meet the targets for the use of recyclates in packaging by 2030 at the latest.” The new European Packaging Ordinance (PPWR) provides for different mandatory recyclate use quotas from 2030, depending on the type of packaging. In order to achieve these targets, the appropriate recycling infrastructure will need to be established over the next few years. “Our group of companies will play a decisive role in setting up and operating the necessary plants,” Auguste is convinced.
“We are actively involved in the entire value chain, from sorting collected plastic and packaging waste to pretreatment of feedstock, and chemical recycling.” On top of Synextra operating in Italy having joined our group last year, the most recent example is GreenDot's involvement in the construction of Triplast, one of Europe's most modern sorting plants for lightweight packaging waste. Our sorting plants supply raw materials for both high-quality mechanical and chemical recycling and form an important building block in GreenDot's portfolio.
Use of our recyclates from mechanical recycling
Systalen® PP and LDPE recyclates, manufactured by GreenDot from mechanical recycling are suitable for both demanding and innovative applications and come from household recycling collections in Germany (Yellow Bins and Yellow Bags). Systalen® can replace virgin plastics in many applications. A new generation of ink eraser pens from the renowned brand manufacturer Pelikan, for example, consists of 70 percent Systalen®.
Moreover, recycled HDPE bottle to bottle grades are being offered from our Joint Venture production site Forplast in Italy. Forplast produces high-quality secondary raw materials from bottle and packaging waste, which are the raw material for new HDPE containers. The group of companies thus covers the entire range of polyolefin recyclates, including for packaging.
GreenDot: Comprehensive range for the production of recyclates
GreenDot has a comprehensive range of systems for recycling plastic waste. The combination of mechanical and advanced recycling on an industrial scale makes it possible to return plastic waste to the recycling cycle that is currently only used to produce low-grade recyclates or is incinerated to generate energy.
GreenDot at the Plastics Recycling Show Europe 2024, Amsterdam, June 19-20, 2024, Hall 11, Stand M13