EVENT REVIEW PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 12/22 www.petpla.net 26 Company growth enters its third phase Austrian PET recycler celebrates its 15th anniversary by Kay Barton On September 23 this year, the firm PET to PET based in Müllendorf, Austria, celebrated 15 years of company and recycling history. On the occasion of the anniversary, the recycler invited guests to an open house event that took place in perfect weather. As well as tributes from the management and a trip through the company’s success story, guests from the world of politics, business and investors from the drinks industry also had their say. This was followed by a tour of the recycling plant for processing post-consumer PET bottles during which PETplanet joined in the discussions. Anniversary celebration, history and the latest news Founded in 2006 and launching its operations in 2007, no-one could have imagined the success and growth that PET to PET has managed to achieve. Since then, the company’s estate has increased fivefold, said Managing Director Christian Strasser to invited guests on a stage set up in the courtyard. The company has so far processed 325,000t of PET and consistently invested in technological and sustainable development and expanded its facilities over the years, as well as overcoming lean periods caused by the pandemic. This has been achieved largely through its own efforts as Hanno Mandl from Rauch Fruchtsäfte (Fruit Juices) pointed out given Coca-Cola HBC Austria, Egger Getränke (Drinks), the S.Spitz company and Vöslauer Mineralwasser (Mineral Water) as well as Rauch also hold shares in the company. After a downturn last year, PET to PET was able to report successful interim results, achieving new record figures for the first half of 2022: 15,131t of PET beverage bottles kept in the resource cycle, an increase of 5.3% compared to pre-pandemic level (2019: 14,329t). 30,000t of PET material are estimated by the end of the year, the equivalent of 1.2 billion PET bottles. PET to PET currently employs 81 staff on a 72,000m2 site that has a 3,300m2 production facility and a 4,050m2 warehouse. The third phase of the company’s expansion took place this year, with its estate growing by 19,000m2 in order to provide additional on-site storage capacity. The newly created area is to be equipped with a photovoltaic system with approximately 12,000m2 of panelling for providing around 15% of the required electrical energy for the company’s future production. The total investment is €30 million. Archaeological finds from a Bronze Age burial ground which were discovered by chance during the expansion were displayed publicly for the first time at the event. Bottle procurement, the state of the market, constraints and ideas for optimisation The huge global demand for highquality rPET for use in food packaging requires the secure collection and procurement of used PET bottles for recycling at a time when the market situation is anything but rosy. As Christian Strasser explained. “The strong desire for food-grade recyclates for beverage bottles is also leading to an excessive demand for collected and sorted bottles for many other applications. Consequently, we have witnessed an unprecedented price development which has led to a steady growth of procurement markets within and, to a lesser extent, outside Europe”. Strasser explained what mechanisms he believes are necessary to improve the situation. “PET beverage bottles are the only form of packaging under current EU law for which mandatory use quotas have been set. However, no prioritisation is currently envisaged that would regulate access to raw material. As a result, all applications that use PET as a material have equal access to these quotas, even if it then immediately leaves the cycle in lower-value applications. This often leads to imbalances, particularly in non-food applications. In my opinion, a structural framework needs to be put in place here. For example, new deposit systems developed in a number of European countries could help in improving both the supply and price situation which would guarantee not only higher quality but also greater quantities. The volume of returns and prioritisation in the use of beverage bottles could be fixed by lobbying brand owners and policy-makers. At the same time, it would also be possible to determine the required recyclability as part of a deposit approval system.” Another mechanism for enhancing the quality of post-consumer material would be colour purity. Leading brands such as Coca-Cola have responded and are increasingly dispensing with coloured PET bottles from their products in order to have a positive impact on the recycling loop. However, the system is to a large extent still in its infancy. Company tour with Managing Director Christian Strasser
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