PETpla.net Insider 11 / 2010

REGIONAL MARKET REPORTS 20 PET planet insider Vol. 11 No. 11/10 www.petpla.net March 30, 2010 Valorplast in Paris Valorplast - “The need might exceed the amount collected.” Géraud Delorme – Directeur Général of Valorplast We met: Géraud Delorme – Directeur Général. Recycling is the hottest topic for PET markets in France: Our discussions with Geraud Delorme at Valorplast are already reflected in great detail in “The PET Story” in first edition of “Focus on France”. Therefore we attend to the critical topics only and in brief: The conflict: Recycling of post-consumer PET bottles replaces virgin PET resin and saves resources. If bottle-to-bottle recycling is managed professionally its use of PET for bottling helps secure the environment. Such is the position of the industry. “What could be more environmental than no packaging at all?” This is the position of the government organisation Syndicat des Eaux D’Ile-de-France (Sedif), hoping that its campaign will further the acceptance of tap water. Both Eco Emballage and Valorplast play an important role in easing the conflict and pacifying the conflicting parties. Granulate versus flakes Numerous steps are involved in the process from post- consumer bottles to food-approved granulate or flakes. Experts argue whether the recycled material should be in the form of granulate or flakes. Apparently the dirt of the incoming material (used bot- tles) are cause of the problem: Granulate, no doubt, are cleaned during the process of extrusion (Reference: Erema at APPE in Beaune) and is less sensitive for reprocessing. Clean(er) post-consumer bottles are needed to be fed into a flake production system. Cleaning afterwards, for instance by Gneuss filtration, in the preform system when injection moulding, is still considered critical. (Reference: Krones at Norpa Plast in Lille, owned by Alma Roxane). Blending virgin with recycled PET Industries have given themselves ambitious targets. It is common practice already to blend 25% recycled material when making new bottles. Danone targets 75% and Alma, in the forefront of the controversy with the “Syndicat”, tar- gets even 100%. The highest targets set by the industries seem unreal- istic or at least problematic. The volumes necessary can almost certainly not come from used bottles. Already today the requirements exceed supply. Apart from the 24.5%, which returns to the beverage industry, recycled PET is successfully used by other indus- tries such as for fibre (52%) for sheeting (20%) strapping and others. If beverage receives more volume, fibre, sheet- ing, strapping and others will receive less. Visions Eco Emballage will have to collect more. Their focus will be on big towns, on high-rise apartment blocks. Val- orplast will step up accordingly, is used as an educational tool as well. The waste prevention policy by municipalities seems to be counter-productive in this respect, since PET and recycled PET are valuable resources for industry pro- viding work and employment. Géraud Delorme, Directeur Général of Valorplast, there- fore warns: “There is a strong commitment from fillers and sheet makers to re-use PET. Big demand exists. The need might exceed the amount collected.” Géraud Delorme knows PET conversion and PET recycling from experience when he was Managing Director from 1996 to 2004 with what was then Amcor PET France, before becoming Director of Valorplast. His experience makes him the right man to bring the conflicting parties (syndicat and industry) to the table for the benefit of all. Reg i ona l mar ke t repor t France part 4 - Issue 12/2010 APPE Beaune, APPE Bierne, Retal