9 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 03/22 www.petpla.net Klӧckner Pentaplast: rPET/PET capacity expansion Klöckner Pentaplast, a global leader in recycled content products and high-barrier protective packaging, has announced its intention to expand its post-consumer recycled content (PCR) PET capacity in North America with an investment to further grow its sustainable innovation offering in consumer health, pharmaceutical, and food packaging markets. The expansion will add an extrusion line and two thermoformers delivering a total of 15,000 metric tonnes of new rPET/PET capacity. The extrusion line will support the production of sustainable product lines such as kpNext recyclable pharmaceutical blister films, and Smartcycle recyclable label and consumer packaging films. The thermoformers will produce kp Elite mono-material protein trays which are made using up to 100% rPET and are claimed to be easily recycled. The location for multimillion-dollar expansion is currently under review and will sit next to one of its six North American plants that is best situated to serve its customer base. It is targeted to be fully operational in Q1 2024. www.kpfi lms.com Alpla Group continues international growth trajectory The Alpla Group, the global packaging solutions and recycling specialist, increased its turnover in the 2021 financial year by 8.4 per cent to four billion euros. The number of employees worldwide increased to 22,100. In addition to investments in recycling and in the development of bio-based and biodegradable plastics, the company expanded through acquisitions and participations. Since 2021, the Alpla Group has invested an average of 50 million euros annually in the expansion of recycling activities. By 2025, the recycling loops are to be closed in as many regions as possible. “Our customers’ demand for high-quality recycled materials is also growing outside Europe. In the long term, we want to cover between 70 and 80 per cent of demand with our own production,” says CEO Philipp Lehner. Outlook 2022 Growth of three to five per cent is the target for the 2022 financial year. “Numerous projects and acquisitions in the USA, Mexico, Asia-Pacific region and Western Europe enable us to strengthen existing and enter new product and market segments,” Lehner emphasises. With the new Asia-Pacific (APAC) region coming on stream in early 2022, Alpla is also expanding the reach of its industry-leading mould technology in the growing Asian market and driving the expansion of the circular economy in the region. www.alpla.com Coca-Cola pledges to increase share of sales in refillable bottles With an eye to curbing plastic waste, The Coca-Cola Co. announced the goal to increase the share of its beverages delivered in returnable/refillable containers. The company committed to selling 25% of beverages in refillables by 2030, up from a current 16%. The pledge was in response to a pending shareholder proposal filed by As You Sow and Green Century Capital Management, asking the company to set stronger refillables goals. A recent analysis by Oceana indicated considerable potential to reduce ocean plastic by increasing refill market share. It concluded that boosting the share of refillable bottles by 10% in all coastal countries in place of single-use PET bottles could reduce plastic bottle marine plastic pollution by 22%. Nearly half of the company’s packaging consists of singleuse PET plastic bottles, generating 3 million tons of plastic packaging annually, the equivalent of producing 200,000 bottles/minute. The company states that single-use bottles are far more likely to be improperly disposed of and become ocean pollution, harming marine life. Refillables are claimed to provide opportunities for faster, larger cuts in single-use plastic, since they do not need to be remanufactured each time they are used. Refillables have demonstrated their ability to substantially cut plastic waste while providing substantial profits with a 90% collection rate, says Coca-Cola. The bottles can be reused from 20 to 40 times. By comparison, less than 30% of single-use PET beverage containers are recycled in the U.S. Refillables account for 50% or more of company sales in more than 20 global markets, and 25% or more in another 40 markets, yet Coke had not committed until now to strategically increase refillables targets and timelines except in one country - Brazil. As You Sow filed the shareholder proposal in conjunction with Green Century Capital Management as co-lead filers. After additional analysis of the details of the company’s goal, the filers will determine whether to withdraw the proposal. www.coca-colacompany.com www.asyousow.org
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