APR Plastics, Aster Chemicals and Energy, Taghleef Industries Group and Pro-Pac Group have begun a strategic partnership which aims at “revolutionising the recycling of hard-to-recycle soft plastics”.
This value chain collaboration is set to transform the Australian recycling landscape, leveraging advanced recycling technologies to convert multi-layer soft plastic waste back into food grade packaging film products.
Multi-layer soft plastic packaging is fit for purpose in preserving food and reducing waste, but it has long been considered problematic due to its high-performance requirements dictating complex structures and the lack of appropriate recycling infrastructure.
The partnership will ensure there is secured processing and offtake for APR’s new pyrolysis line in Maddingley, Victoria.
The partnership is expected to convert up to 3000 tonnes of soft plastic waste into pyrolysis oil for further refinement and processing into recycled PP film, which can then be printed and laminated into snack food packaging for products like biscuits and confectionary.
APR is leading the pyrolysis project, with Aster processing the pyrolysis oil into olefins, which will then be converted into PP resin before Taghleef manufactures it into PP film. Pro-Pac will complete the circular value chain by manufacturing the PP film into snack food wrappers.
An MOU between the four parties marks a significant milestone in the journey towards this fully circular packaging solution.
Darren Thorpe, CEO of APR Plastics, emphasised the importance of building local recycling capacity, saying: “Multi-layer soft plastic packaging remains a hard-to-recycle material with few local recycling options that are truly circular.”
“Advanced recycling of this material is a feasible and viable solution for Australia, and we’re looking forward to working with our partners to ensure this important initiative is successful.”
Erwin Ciputra. Group CEO of Aster, recognises that real progress on the environmental impact of plastic waste requires more than ambition, emphasising that it requires collaboration and action.
“We are taking tangible steps by forging new partnerships across the plastics value chain, to leverage our joint technological capabilities to deliver a more sustainable outcome for our customers by supporting them to meet their environmental targets, while showing that industrial growth can be achieved responsibly and sustainably,” he explained.
Elie Jarrous, COO of Taghleef, welcomes the initiative and reiterated the commitment of Taghleef to be part of the journey to make available to the Australian market filmic products that have recycled content.
“Realisation of this partnership is critical to demonstrate the circularity from collection of Australian plastic waste to consumer products wrapped in recycled flexible packaging,” Jarrous added.
On commenting on the importance of turning packaging back into packaging, Ian Shannon, Pro-Pac CEO, said: “Food grade recycled content for packaging films is currently imported as Australia lacks domestic advanced recycling capability.”
“This partnership will be groundbreaking for the local circular economy as it will turn Australian packaging waste back into locally manufactured packaging,” Shannon concluded.
