PETpla.net Insider 07+08 / 2020

9 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 21 No. 07+08/20 www.petpla.net South African plastic industry announces positive PET recycling rate Despite global market contrac- tions, and now the rolling economic impact of Covid-19, South Africa’s PET plastic recycling value chain has kept its wheels turning, delivering another positive annual recycling rate while creating thousands of jobs for informal reclaimers who returned to work under level three of the national lockdown. According to new statistics released by the PET Recycling Company (Petco), which is the producer responsibility organisation for the sector, 62% of all PET beverage bottles placed on the market in 2019 have been recycled – a trend which is in line with global PET recycling rates. This amounts to 95,879 t of post- consumer PET bottles collected, which would otherwise have occupied 594,448 cubic metres of landfill space and produced 144,000 t of carbon emissions. Aside from these environ- mental benefits, PET recycling also generated 65,900 income-earning opportunities among informal reclaim- ers and SMMEs, with R1.1 billion injected into the downstream economy via the manufacturing, distribution and sale of products made from recycled PET (rPET). Petco chief executive officer Cheri Scholtz said while the overall 2% year- on-year decrease in volume was dis- appointing, it was as good as could be expected, given the significant loss of installed capacity following the closure of one of the country’s six PET recy- clers. “The closure of Mpact Polymers had a significant impact on our capacity to recycle, with the remaining recyclers unable to pick up the slack as they were already operating at maximum capacity in the fourth quarter.” On a positive note, Scholtz said the tonnage of rPET sold in South Africa – more than 23,904 t – was similar to 2018, reflecting both the improving output at the remaining recyclers, as well as the increasing demand for rPET. www.petco.co.za Acquisition of PET recycling facility in Brazil Indorama Ventures Public Company Lim- ited announced that it has, through its indirect subsidiary Indorama Ventures Polimeros S.A., acquired 100% equity stake of AG Resinas Ltda., a limited liability company incorporated under the laws of Brazil and completed the transaction on June 8, 2020. AG Resinas is a PET recycling facility in Juiz de Fora, Brazil and processes post- consumer PET into recycled PET flakes and pellets with a combined capacity of approx. 9,000 t/a. The facility is in close proximity to a large supply of recovered PET bottles, bringing the advantages of logistical benefits. This acquisition is strategically in-line with the IVL’s long-term sustainability objectives and will complement IVL’s PET business in Brazil and provide a unique opportunity to create an immediate recycling presence with opportunities for further expansion. The value of the above acquisition, cal- culated in accordance with the regulations of the Capital Market Supervisory Board and the Stock Exchange of Thailand, as prescribed by the regulations of the Stock Exchange of Thailand Re: Disclosure of Information and Other Acts of Listed Com- panies Concerning the Acquisition and Dis- position of Assets, 2004 (as amended), is less than 15 per cent and the total size of all transactions in the past 6 months also does not exceed the 15 per cent threshold limits as prescribed in the regulations. www.indoramaventures.com/en Tshidi Ramogas, Petco board chair BevTech EU 2020 in digital format The International Society of Bever- age Technologists (ISBT) is an impartial organisation that deals with all technical and scientific aspects of beverages. Next to providing forums for scholarly discus- sions, publishing of “voluntary” technical guidelines and best practices, the annual BevTech meetings are a widely recognised activity of the ISBT. These meetings are held in the US, in Europe, Latin America, Canada and India. The current challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic have made ISBT all the more conscious of the need to ensure the wellbeing of attendees and presenters. As a result of these concerns it was decided to move the 2020 BevTech Europe meet- ing from a face-to-face in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, to an online meeting. The date of the BevTech EU 2020 webinar is September 10 th from 2 pm to 6 pm Central European Time. On the agenda are five presentations of 20 min followed by 10 min Q&A each. The speakers are specially invited to pre- sent their experience in managing their business during the Covid-19 pandemic. Other subjects are welcome such as:  Sanitation of fountain systems in a retail environment  Global quality standardisation vs. regional approach  Smart use of manufacturing and qual- ity data  Quality and safety management  The need to launch new products/ applications/packaging quickly versus proper testing. The webinar will conclude with a 50 min online live panel discussion by some of the most influential specialists in the industry. The panel discussion will highlight the experiences gained from managing Covid-19 impacts at different stages of the supply chain. www.bevtech.org