Recycling expert Michael Heyde joins Alpla
On July 2, Michael Heyde joined the Austrian packaging producer Alpla as head of recycling technology. The 58-year-old specialist in recycling and the circular economy will focus on the expansion of recycling capacities. Heyde is a recognised expert in the development of new areas of application for post-consumer recycled plastics. He has extensive experience acting as an interface between the waste management industry and the packaging industry.
“The establishment of a centre of expertise for recycling technology at Alpla is now receiving a boost. With Michael Heyde, we will make a decisive impact on the global development of recycling capacities. In doing so, we want to expand our previous focus on PET to include HDPE and closures,” says Dietmar Marin, head of the ISBM and recycling business unit.
Heyde recently served as head of product and process development at Der Grüne Punkt – Duales System Deutschland GmbH. His responsibilities particularly included process development for closed-loop systems and the development of recycled materials for the group’s production facilities.
After completing his studies in mechanical/process engineering at the Technical University of Munich, Heyde began his career as a research associate at the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging in Freising. There, he advanced to head of systems analysis, where his work included the development of methods for the preparation of product life cycle assessments. He earned his PhD from the Technical University of Berlin in the subject of food science and biotechnology in 1998. A year later, the engineering scientist took over as head of technology at Der Grüne Punkt. Since then, he has made a significant contribution to the development of recycling management for packaging in Germany through various roles within the Duales System Holding group.
