PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2021

8 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 22 No. 06/21 www.petpla.net European plastics manufacturers plan 7.2 billion Euros of investment in chemical recycling PlasticsEurope announces a significant increase in planned chemical recycling investment: from 2.6 billion Euros (US$ 3.2 billion) in 2025 to 7.2 billion Euros (US$ 8.7 billion) in 2030. To further accelerate investments in this technology and the transition towards a circular economy, PlasticsEurope calls for a harmonised and strong policy and regulatory framework. Chemical recycling is claimed to allow the recycling of plastic waste which is otherwise incinerated or sent to landfill and to deliver significant quantities of recy- cled material with virgin plastic properties. Scaling-up this technology, and delivering broader sys- temic change requires a tool kit that includes many solutions – diversification of feedstock, new infrastructure, business models, new materials, waste prevention and eco-design, amongst others. From an industry perspective, it is also vital that policy-makers create a policy and regulatory framework that provides certainty and incentivises further investment. Working with public and private partners via alliances at local, national and global level to encourage appropriate recy- cling, reuse and recovery of plastic waste pollution is key. With a projected contribution of 1,2 Mt of recycled plastics produced through chemical recycling by 2025, PlasticsEurope plays a leading role in delivering on the European Commission’s Cir- cular Plastics Alliance target of 10 Mt recycled plastics used in European products by 2025. www.plasticseurope.org Registrations for K 2022 in high demand Now the deadline for registrations for K 2022 has been reached, the organisers report high demand for the trade fair which will be held in Düsseldorf from 19 to 26 October 2022. “K 2022 will again occupy the entire fairgrounds,” rejoices Erhard Wienkamp, Managing Director at Messe Düsseldorf. K 2022 will again welcome the “Who’s Who” of the inter- national plastics and rubber industry to Düsseldorf. Some 3,000 companies from all continents have registered to exhibit their developments in the segments raw materials & auxiliaries, semi-finished products, technical components & reinforced plastic products, machinery and equipment for the plastics and rubber industry. The three major guiding themes of K 2022 will be:  Circular Economy  Digitalisation  Climate Protection These leading themes will be echoed by both the exhibi- tors’ presentations and in the focus of the official special show “Plastics Shape the Future”, the Science Campus and VDMA’s Circular Economy Forum. The physical event on site will be extended to include additional digital content. www.k-online.com Food & Drink technology (fdt) Africa 2021 cancelled Food & Drink technology (fdt) Africa, the premier trade fair for the processing, filling, packaging and logistics for Africa’s food and beverage industry, has been cancelled. Suzette Scheepers, CEO of event organisers Messe Muenchen South Africa, says the event, which had been scheduled to take place at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg from November 2-4, 2021, will not go ahead this year due to uncertainty in the market and ongoing travel bans and restrictions as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Further supporting the decision to cancel the event is President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent announcement of the strengthening of restrictions as the country moves into its 3 rd wave of Covid-19 infections. Under these restrictions, all gatherings are limited to 100 people indoors, and 250 people outdoors. “As a key pan-African industry event, fdt Africa was scheduled to be co-located with Ifat Africa and Analytica Lab Africa; a combined and broad-reaching event that traditionally brings together thousands of pan-African and international stakeholders for knowledge sharing and product discovery. However, due to the current circumstances, we concluded that we could not assure our valued sponsors, exhibitors and visitors of the traditional levels of international engagement.” Scheepers says. www.fdt-africa.com Suntory Beverage and Food GB&I invests £6M in sustainable packaging goals Suntory Beverage and Food Great Britain & Ireland (SBF GB&I) is investing £6M (US$8.5 million) in its Lucozade brand to help minimise its impact on the environment. From the end of this year, all of Lucozade Sport’s bottles will be made from 100% recycled plastic and will feature a label that is half the size of the original. Although they have always been recyclable, the new labels which feature on-pack recycling prompts, intended to ensure that the bottles can be sorted into the clear waste stream to be recycled back into bottles at UK recycling centres. In total the changes represent a saving of 3,500 t of virgin plastic and 9,000 t of CO 2 , contrib- uting towards SBF GB&I’s net zero and 100% sustainable plastic packaging ambition. Lucozade Sport’s new rPET bottles and reduced sleeve design have been endorsed by a raft of recycling organisa- tions, including the Recycling Association, who praised the investment from SBF GB&I. “We have been critical in the past of brands using a full plastic sleeve around their bot- tles. Suntory Beverage and Food GB&I have gone above and beyond remedying this in their re-design, by not only minimising the plastic sleeve, and ensuring the whole bottle is recyclable, but they’ve moved to using 100% recycled material in its manufacture too,” Simon Ellin, CEO at The Recycling Association, commented on the initiative. www.lrsuntory.com