PET Baltija is developing one of the largest PET recycling factories in Europe with €35 million investment
PET Baltija, one of the largest PET recyclers in Northern Europe and part of Eco Baltia, the largest waste management and recycling group in the Baltics, announced the investment of over €10 million as part of the development of a new PET recycling plant in Olaine, Latvia. This joint project is being delivered by Eco Baltia, which is backed by the INVL Baltic Sea Growth Fund, in collaboration with Piche, a leading industrial park developer in Latvia. The total investment exceeds €35 million.
The plant is intended to be one of the largest and most modern PET recycling factories in Europe and one of the largest industrial buildings in Latvia. Its total indoor area, including production facilities, office space and various shared facilities, will reach a total of ~30,000 square meters. The outdoor area will also cover ~40,000 square meters. As part of the project, PET Baltija’s existing Latvian factory in Jelgava will be relocated to the new production facility in Olaine over time.
Māris Simanovičs, Chairman of the Board at Eco Baltia, commented: “In recent years, we have pursued a rapid development strategy for the Eco Baltia group in the Baltics and beyond. In addition to its organic growth, we have also acquired several companies to ensure the production of the best possible final product in PET recycling as well as expanding our offering for environmental management.” He explained that the main objective is to increase the food grade rPET pellets production capacity and to provide the necessary conditions for the company’s further development.
With the factory currently under construction, the plant’s initial phase was celebrated in early May. This marked the installation of the first production equipment located within one of the completed production areas.
The supplier of the recycling equipment is Starlinger, an Austrian manufacturer and one of the world’s leading developers and manufacturers of recycling technologies. In Europe, only two production plants currently have Starlinger equipment of this level already installed, while globally there are only ten examples. Therefore, the PET Baltija factory will also technologically be one of the most modern PET recycling factories in Europe and in the world more broadly.
The new PET Baltija’s recycling factory and industrial park is developed by the leading industrial building developer in Latvia, Piche. According to Piche CEO Pēteris Senkāns, the PET recycling plant is one of the company’s largest and most complex projects of the year.
Following the sustainability strategies of Eco Baltia and PET Baltija, which aim to reduce resource consumption and promote a circular economy, the building will comply with the Breem sustainable construction standard and will be fully powered by renewable energy.
The factory will also have unique wastewater treatment equipment which will also reduce the consumption of chemical substances in the wastewater treatment process. In addition, the factory will have a high standards air recuperation system which will reuse excess heat energy generated during the PET melting for heating of the building. In accordance with the ESG strategy, attention is being paid to employee well-being and working conditions, in order to provide high work safety standards, ergonomic and comfortable workspaces, as well as shared and recreational spaces.
PET Baltija’s relocation is planned in several stages, gradually shifting all PET Baltija production from Jelgava to the new factory in Olaine by the end of Q1’2024. The total number of jobs at the new factory will then exceed 250.
