PETnews 6 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 23 No. 12/22 www.petpla.net Manjushree Technopack signs an MoU with IISc for recyclable plastic packaging Manjushree Technopack Ltd. (MTL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, to create innovative and sustainable plastic packaging solutions. As part of the MoU, IISc will establish a Centre of Excellence for upcycling and recycling thermoplastics used in a wide spectrum of rigid plastic packaging present in everyday life, ranging from soft drink bottles to cleaning products such as washing tablets. This will see IISc and MTL developing solutions to turn waste into plastic packaging to allow repeated recycling of products. The organisations will also collaborate to develop a recyclable elastomeric material for all plastic pumps and triggers and also work to strengthen the caps of PET bottles, which are made from 100% recyclable plastic. One of the key aims of this MoU is to replace a number of non-recyclable packaging materials with recyclable monolayer materials, which is expected to help make transport cheaper and reduce breakage and damage. Another area of focus for the collaboration is the replacement of cardboard-based packaging, such as that used in pizza boxes, with foamed polyolefins, offering improved thermal insulation and weight reduction. IISc, established in 1909, has become India’s premier institute for advanced scientific and technological research and education and is an Institution of Eminence recognised by the Government of India, and MTL. With over 42 academic departments and centres, IISc collaborates with a number of technology giants to find scientific and technological solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. MTL is South Asia’s largest PET bottle and preform manufacturing company. With 40 years of packaging expertise in India, the company caters to the packaging requirements of the FMCG, pharmaceutical and liquor industries, and works with some of the biggest brands in these segments. www.manjushreeindia.com www.iisc.ac.in Plastipak’s major recycling investment in Spain officially opens Plastipak, a global leader in the design, manufacture and recycling of plastic containers has announced the formal opening of a major recycling investment at its manufacturing site in Toledo, Spain by Don Emiliano García-Page, President of the Castilla-La Mancha Region. The new recycling facility converts PET flake into food-grade recycled PET (rPET) pellets suitable for direct use in new preforms, bottles and containers. The new recycling plant will produce 20,000 t/a of foodgrade recycled pellet and will eliminate recycled resin transport-related emissions since it is co-located at Plastipak’s current preform manufacturing site. The recycling plant is Plastipak’s fifth recycling facility, with other recycling plants located in USA, France, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom. In Europe, Plastipak is the largest producer of food-grade rPET, with well over 150,000 t/a of rPET capacity. Pedro Martins, Plastipak’s Executive Managing Director Europe, said “The use of rPET is a key tool in reducing our customer’s Scope 3 related emissions and forms an important part of their ESG-packaging related commitments. As well as supporting our customers to reduce their financial obligations under the planned Spanish plastics tax, the plant will also contribute to the meeting the minimum recycled content levels mandated by the Single Use Plastics Directive.” To support on-site energy generation, the state-of-theart facility incorporates advanced energy-saving technologies and equipment that includes the rooftop installation of over 1,800 photovoltaic (PV) solar panels. The PV panels are expected to generate more than 1,339MWh/a of electricity that will be consumed entirely on-site, saving more than 443 t/a of CO2 through the avoidance of consumption of electricity from the national grid. This is in addition to the CO2 avoided by using 20,000 t of recycled resin instead of virgin resin, says the company. www.plastipak.com
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