PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2021

EVENT REVIEW PETplanet Insider Vol. 22 No. 09/21 www.petpla.net 48 Lahnstein pilot plant At a press briefing on July 8, Borealis and Tomra showcased their pilot plant for advanced mechanical recycling in Lahnstein, Germany. It is capable of sorting post-consumer plastic waste – valuable material that would otherwise be lost to incineration and landfill. This not only keeps feed- stock in circulation that are urgently needed by industry to meet its recy- cling quotas, but also saves CO 2 that would otherwise be produced twice - in the manufacture of virgin material and in the incineration, too. The plant recycles household waste made from both films and rigid plastic, which is delivered as pre- sorted baled product from all over Europe. “In Germany, around two million tonnes of plastic waste that could be mechanically recycled is cur- rently incinerated,” explains Jürgen Priesters, SVP Circular Economy, Head of Business Development Tomra. In Lahnstein, these thermo- plastics and polyolefins are repro- cessed mechanically. Furthermore, in contrast to many other recycling facilities, the plant delivers advanced material solutions that are needed for high-quality and sophisticated plastic applications in a wide variety of areas, such as consumer goods or automotive appli- cations. Cur- rently, these are provided in the form of odour- less flakes but a further stage of expansion is already in pro- gress, in which completely compounded material can be produced. The pur- pose of this demo plant is to manufacture products for brand owners and processors and to test and demonstrate their suitability for sophisticated applications. Successful technical imple- mentation will form the basis for an advanced recycling facility at commercial scale. Volker Rehrmann, who is also Head of Circular Economy at Tomra, says: “After bringing to life this new department for a circular economy, it is clear that the waste economy and key projects like this one play a huge role in our path to a sustainable future. We are proud to have taken the initiative. The plant is among the most advanced mechanical recycling facilities for post-consumer polymer waste. It is and will be an important prerequisite for further accelerat- ing the switch to a circular economy over the coming years and we are delighted to be part of this pioneering project.” The plant is operated jointly by Borealis, Tomra and Zimmermann. Borealis is responsible for the eco- nomic success of the facility and contributes its specialist skills and extensive knowledge in the fields of innovation, recycling and compound- ing. Tomra supplies its thorough spe- cialist expertise and comprehensive process and market knowledge, which in turn contribute to the circular econ- omy though the advanced collection and sorting systems. Zimmermann is a waste disposal company with expe- rience in the field of separating vari- ous waste types, including plastics, and is responsible for successful plant operation and product quality. www.tomra.com www.borealisgroup.com www.eunomia.co.uk www.zimmermann-recycling.com The pre-sorted household waste comes in bales from all over Europe. WATER DESIGN - YOUR WAY UNLOCK THE VALUE OF YOUR BRAND Wouldyou likeyourconsumers toengage inacompletely immersiveexperiencewithyourbrand?WithSidel’s packagingexpertise,youcanrelyoncustomisedbottles thatperfectlymatchyourneeds in termsofperformance andrecognition.Fromvalue-based lightweightbottlesand designdifferentiation topremiumdecoration, wehave thebestsolution foryourwater inPET. Findoutmoreaboutourwaterpackagingat: sidel.com/packaging ADV_Water PET Campaign_ 1 08.09.21 13:17