No.03 2025 www.petpla.net D 51178; ISSN: 1438-9452 PETplanet is read in 159 countries Suppliers of caps & cap inspection systems MARKETsurvey M A G A Z I N E F O R B O T T L E R S A N D B O T T L E - M A K E R S I N T H E A M E R I C A S , A S I A , E U R O P E A N D A L L A R O U N D T H E P L A N E T 17 . 03 . 25 Page 38 EDITOUR Page 10 Page 27 Page 41
vbr-voѲࢼomvĸ1ol SFL v_b[v |_; 0om7-ub;v bm |_; ;oѲࢼom o= Ѳbm;-u 0ѲoloѲ7bm]Ķ o@;ubm] l-bll Y;b0bѲb| 1ol0bm;7 b|_ bm1u;-v;7 o|r|. 1omvoѲb7-|;7 |;1_moѲo] b|_ |_; Ѳo;v| |o|-Ѳ 1ov| o= om;uv_br Ŏ$ ŏ om |_; l-uh;|Ķ 7;vb]m;7 |o or;u-|; b|_ Ǝ |o Ѵ 0Ѳobm] 1-bࢼ;v -m7 |o u;-1_ - l-bll ruo71ࢼb| o= ƏĶƍƍƍ 0oѲ;vń_ouń1-b|Ķ b|_ |_; Ѳo;v| ;;u ;m;u] 1omvlrࢼomĸ $_; u;=;u;m1; =ou |_; $ r-1h-]bm] l-uh;|Ķ ml-|1_;7 bm |_; bm7v|uĶ v_ov ml;uov |;1_moѲo]b1-Ѳ 7;;Ѳorl;m|v bm |;ulv o= vr;;7Ķ t-Ѳb|Ķ ;uv-ࢼѲb|Ķ 1-r-1b|Ķ ;m;u] ;L1b;m1 -m7 o;u-ѲѲ vv|-bm-0bѲb|ĸ | bm1ourou-|;v _b]_Ѳ bmmo-ࢼ; 7b]b|-Ѳ voѲࢼomv |o C| bm |_; lov| bvbom-u "l-u| -1|ouĸ ѲѲ |_;v; mbt; =;-|u;vĶ |o];|_;u b|_ |_; Ѳo l-bm|;m-m1; 1ov|vĶ l-h; " |uѲ - ļ0;v| bm 1Ѳ-vvĽ -lom] Ѳbm;-u vv|;lv. FLEXIBLE packaging and extreme stretching capabilities SUPERIOR productivity & performance EASY to use and to maintain ECO energy saving & sustainability focused TCO SAFE & CLEAN no hydraulics, operator and food safety LINEAR BLOWMOULDER: SIMPLY THE BEST IN CLASS.
No.03 2025 www.petpla.net D 51178; ISSN: 1438-9452 PETplanet is read in 159 countries Suppliers of caps & cap inspection systems MARKETsurvey M A G A Z I N E F O R B O T T L E R S A N D B O T T L E - M A K E R S I N T H E A M E R I C A S , A S I A , E U R O P E A N D A L L A R O U N D T H E P L A N E T 17 . 03 . 25 Page 38 EDITOUR Page 10 Page 27 Page 41
Booth: 7F31 Hall: 7 'VXOR 9NKT`NKT =UXRJ +^NOHOZOUT )UT\KTZOUT )KTZKX The 37th International Exhibition on Plastics and Rubber Industries
imprint EDITORIAL PUBLISHER Alexander Büchler, Managing Director HEAD OFFICE heidelberg business media GmbH Hubweg 15 74939 Zuzenhausen, Germany phone: +49 6221-65108-0 [email protected] EDITORIAL Kay Barton Heike Fischer Gabriele Kosmehl Michael Maruschke Ruari McCallion Anthony Withers Editorial & WikiPETia. info [email protected] MEDIA CONSULTANTS Martina Hirschmann [email protected] Johann Lange-Brock [email protected] phone: +49 6221-65108-0 LAYOUT AND PREPRESS EXPRIM Werbeagentur Matthias Gaumann www.exprim.de READER SERVICES [email protected] PRINT Chroma Druck Eine Unternehmung der Limberg-Druck GmbH Danziger Platz 6 67059 Ludwigshafen, Germany WWW www.hbmedia.net | www.petpla.net PETplanet Insider ISSN 1438-9459 is published 10 times a year. This publication is sent to qualified subscribers (1-year subscription 149 EUR, 2-year subscription 289 EUR, Young professionals’ subscription 99 EUR. Magazines will be dispatched to you by airmail). Not to be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. Note: The fact that product names may not be identified as trademarks is not an indication that such names are not registered trademarks. 3 PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 03/25 www.petpla.net A recent study by the Brazilian Association for the PET Industry (ABIPET) shows that PET has a superior environmental footprint compared to aluminium, glass and steel (see article on page 14). The areas that were analysed are also interesting. For example, particulate emissions and water consumption are also taken into account. The study looks at the entire life cycle of PET packaging for liquid foodstuffs - from raw material extraction, production, transport and use through to disposal and recycling. PET scores better than the alternatives in six key categories. Particularly striking is the up to 98% lower fine dust pollution compared to glass and a 97% reduction compared to aluminium. PET is also the more environmentally friendly choice in terms of climate change, acidification, land use, ecotoxicity and water consumption. Various PET containers from 250ml to 2 l were tested and compared with aluminium, steel and glass packaging. A 1.5 l PET water bottle produces 45% less CO2 emissions than a 350ml aluminium can and 94% less than a 350ml glass bottle. Water consumption in the production of a 2 l PET bottle is 64% lower than for aluminium and 88% lower than for glass. In Brazil, 56.4% of used PET bottles are recycled, which promotes the use of rPET (recycled PET) and reduces the need for new raw materials. This further improves the environmental balance of PET and significantly reduces energy consumption compared to glass and aluminium. The multi-year study shows that PET performs significantly better than aluminium, glass and steel in terms of environmental, health and energy aspects. Its lightness reduces transport costs, and as PET containers are usually recycled rather than washed and reused, water consumption is also lower. Despite its petroleum-based origin, PET offers a more sustainable solution for the packaging of food and beverages. Yours, Alexander Büchler Dear readers,
PETcontents 4 PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 03/25 www.petpla.net 03/2025 EDITOUR 10 “Four out of six PET bottles on the market come from our factories” - Family business for preforms and bottles of all kinds 12 New directions for an established stationery manufacturer - Plastic packaging for personal care and cosmetics MATERIALS / RECYCLING 14 Life cycle assessment of PET bottles and liquid foods - PET packaging shows superior environ- mental performance, Brazilian report claims 18 App-based recycling model from India - A circular economy through digitalisation, inclusion and fair wages PREFORM PRODUCTION 20 Beyond the surface - Mastering preform heating for rPET success BOTTLE MAKING 22 Emerging tech revolutionising European PET bottle manufacturing - Observing new technology trends in PET packaging BOTTLING / FILLING 24 Production capacities increase of 300% - Improved production process at Schweppes Zimbabwe Limited CAPS / CLOSURES 26 Overcoming market challenges with quality and innovation 31 High speed, low energy costs - Setting a new PAC-E in packaging productivity 32 The used-machinery market for cap production: Trends and challenges MARKET SURVEY 27 Suppliers of caps & cap inspection PACKAGING / PALLETISING 34 Addressing the challenges of large container handling - Sipa’s Robby Rack advanced 6-axis robot configuration EVENT REVIEW 36 “Turning back is not an option, but moving forward requires a lot of support and protection” - Petcore Annual Conference 2025 EVENT PREVIEW 38 PRS Europe 2025 preview 41 Chinaplas 2025 preview, part 2 OUTER PLANET 54 From old tulip nets to a circular crate solution - Schoeller Allibert and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners have developed a circular crate solution made from 97% recycled plastic BUYER’S GUIDE 48 Get listed! INSIDE TRACK 3 Editorial 4 Contents 6 News 45 On site 46 PET bottles for beverage + liquid food 47 Patents Page 24 Page 22 Page 12 EDITOUR
A FAMILY OWNED SWISS COMPANY. OUR INJEC TION MOULDS FOR PE T, PAC AND MED FIT THE SWISS MOULD OF PRECISION CRAF TSMANSHIP. OT TO-HOFSTE T TER. SWISS T OTA LLY SW I S S. O F P R E C I S I O N 70 YEARS yellow.agency CHINAPL A S 2 025 MEE T US IN HALL 10, BOOTH 10K61
PETnews 6 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 03/25 www.petpla.net Veolia invests in PET recycling in Europe Veolia, an environmental services provider, is expanding its PET recycling capacities across Europe. The company is investing in the modernisation and expansion of its facilities in Frauenfeld, Switzerland, and Norrköping, Sweden. The goal is to increase the output of food-grade rPET to meet the growing demand in the food industry. In Frauenfeld, Veolia is leveraging artificial intelligence to improve input quality and adding an extra extruder for the production of food-grade rPET. In Norrköping, a facility expansion and a new extruder will boost the output of high-quality granules. With these investments, Veolia expects to increase its production of food-grade rPET by approximately 30%. According to Guido Adomßent, CEO of Veolia Umweltservice Group, the collection systems in Scandinavia and Switzerland create essential conditions for a closed-loop PET recycling process. He explains that Sweden, for instance, has mandatory design regulations for PET bottles allowed for sale, which ensures very high recycling quality and, in turn, leads to high-quality recyclates. www.veolia.de Packaging specialist Alpla opens new plant in Thailand Alpla is expanding in the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region and opening a second location in Thailand. The modern plant in Chachoengsao, near Bangkok, combines all production technologies, technical centre and STUDIOa, a ‘one-stopshop’ for design, on a 24,000m2 site. Alpla is thus increasing capacities, expanding its portfolio and offering safe, affordable and sustainable full-system solutions made of plastic to numerous industries and markets. With this second location in Thailand, Alpla is multiplying its production capacity in the country. Chachoengsao is replacing Prachinburi as the headquarters and expanding the portfolio to include injection moulding (IM) and one-step injection stretch-blow moulding (ISBM) technologies.Alpla will be manufacturing high-quality plastic bottles, preforms, matching closures and injection-moulded parts in Chachoengsao using all core technologies. All production lines have been producing in volume since the beginning of 2025. More than 190 skilled workers are employed in Chachoengsao. The new location in the Bangkok metropolitan region stands out for its customer proximity and optimal connections. At its first plant in Prachinburi, Alpla will concentrate fully on extrusion blow moulding (EBM) in the future. www.alpla.com Origin Materials announces commencement of PET cap commercial production Or igin Mater ials announced the commencement of commercial production of PET caps at its manufacturing centre in Reed City, Michigan, USA, on its first Origin CapFormer System. The company confirmed that three additional CapFormer lines are currently being built and tested and are expected to complete their Factory Acceptance Tests in Q2. They also reaffirmed previous guidance, stating that they remain on target to have a total of eight CapFormer lines online by the end of 2025. The CapFormer line is performing as expected and is expected to produce hundreds of millions of PET caps annually, according to Origin CEO and Co-Founder John Bissell. Origin Materials continues to refine its technologies and manufacturing processes to enhance production rates and improve unit economics for future lines. The company views this development as a key step in addressing the $65 billion closures market. The newly produced PCO 1881-compliant caps are expected to be transformative for the packaging industry, delivering the performance benefits and recycling circularity associated with PET caps. Beyond the 1881 format, Origin’s technology platform is designed to enhance the sustainability and performance of a broad range of packaging solutions, both existing and new. “Market interest and the strength of the overall demand for our caps continues to suggest we will be able to sell every cap we can make,” said Bissell. “We have multiple MOUs (Memorandum of Understanding) signed, with a growing list of prospects in the qualification phase, and a growing pipeline of new potential customers. We’re looking forward to announcing additional MOUs along with customer names in the coming months.” Looking ahead, the company plans to scale production on the first CapFormer line gradually. Additional CapFormer Systems are being manufactured and tested alongside the startup of the initial line, with further systems scheduled to come online throughout 2025. www.originmaterials.com
7 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 IFC partners with Mohinani Group to drive PET recycling and manufacturing in West Africa IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, announced a partnership with Ghana-based manufacturer Mohinani Group Limited to undertake the recycling of PET from plastic waste in Ghana and Nigeria, helping to protect the environment and creating thousands of jobs in both countries. Under the partnership, IFC will provide a loan of US$37 million to help Mohinani Group subsidiaries Polytank Ghana Limi ted and Sonnex Packaging Nigeria Limited to establish PET recycling plants in Ghana and Nigeria. Each plant will have the capacity to produce 15,000 t/a of recycled PET (rPET) resins that wi l l substitute virgin PET resins used to make food grade and beverage packaging containers. 90 per cent of the raw ma t er i a l s wi l l be sour ced from local smal l businesses involved in plastic collection. Combined, the new plants are expected to create more than 4,000 direct and indirect jobs across the value chain and approximately US$21 million in annual savings from imports for each country. “The rPET project by the Mohinani Group was born out of a vision to close the bottleto-bottle recycling loop in Africa and the Group’s dedication to advancing environmental sustainability,” said Roshan Mohinani, Strategy and Transformation Manager for Mohinani. “It is also inspired by our Group’s purpose of improving the quality of lives in Africa, as this initiative is expected to create over 4,000 jobs along the value chain in Nigeria and Ghana, thereby providing economic empowerment to a significant number of young people, particularly women.” “IFC’s partnership with Mohinani underscores our dedication to promote environmental sustainability and economic development in Ghana and Nigeria,” said Dahlia Khalifa, IFC Regional Director for Central Africa and Anglophone West Africa. “By recycling up to 30,000 t/a of PET waste, these new plants will protect the environment and substitute imports with locally recycled materials.” IFC will also provide advisory services to strengthen Mohinani’s environmental and social practices and its capacity for efficient and sustainable PET recycling operations. The project aligns with IFC’s strategies for Ghana and Nigeria which are focused on mitigating climate change, creating jobs and transforming the economy. It is also consistent with the World Bank Group’s Climate Change Action Plan 2021-2025, which aims to reduce the use of virgin plastic resins and greenhouse gas emissions in the packaging materials value chain. www.ifc.org CREATING FUTURE STANDARDS Japan’s leading Aseptic PET Filling System Provider. Our website Our solution high quality reliable technology safe & secure
8 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 03/25 www.petpla.net ABSOLUTE MEASURMENT PERFECTION Want to find out? Scan to access our FREE guidebook Industrial Physics is lifting the lid on PET bottle testing. How can you ensure the absolute quality of your beverage packaging? Featuring real world data SK chemicals to establish waste plastic recycling innovation center in Korea SK Chemicals has successfully massproduced chemically recycled materials and started to build a comprehensive centre for plastic recycling solutions in Korea. This centre will include the production of circular recyclable raw materials, demonstration research and material production. The company announced on February 18 that it will establish a Recycle Innovation Center (RIC) at its Ulsan plant where eco-friendly chemical materials are produced. The company will invest in new pilot facilities for the chemical decomposition of waste plastics to produce recycled BHET (r-BHET), linking them with existing commercial copolyester production facilities. The newly constructed depolymerisation pilot facility will produce recyclable plastic raw materials (r-BHET) from waste plastics. This facility will validate commercialisation technology for various types of low-quality waste plastics that were previously difficult to recycle using conventional methods, expanding beyond typical transparent bottles to include fibres, films, and automotive parts. In particular, the recycling of textiles is known to be highly challenging field due to the diverse forms and types of materials mixed in a single garment. This includes not only polyester yarn but also other fibres such as cotton, as well as various accessories like buttons. The depolymerisation pilot facility is scheduled to begin operations in 2026 with an annual production capacity of 50 t. BHET(r-BHET), an intermediate raw material for polyester-based materials such as PET and copolyester, is integral to SK Chemicals’ chemical recycling technology. With the construction of the RIC, SK Chemicals will establish an integrated research and production system at its Ulsan plant, covering everything from circular recycled raw materials (r-BHET) to circular recycled materials. All processes from depolymerisation to demonstration research, polymerisation, and mass production will be organically integrated at one location. This is supported by a polymerisation pilot that produces a circular recycled PET and a commercial production facility capable of mass-producing circular recycled copolyester. www.skchemicals.com Axens and Sorema sign partnership for providing advanced plastic recycling integrated solutions Axens, a leading technology licensor in the field of plastics circular economy, and Sorema, an international technology and equipment provider for sorting, cleaning and mechanical treatment of plastic waste, announced their cooperation for providing integrated solutions for advanced (chemical, physical) recycling of plastic wastes. Through this collaboration, Axens and Sorema aim to provide their clients with integrated and optimised solutions, maximising the yield and revenues from the waste feedstock to the recycled plastic. Axens is transforming the recycling of hard-to-recycle plastics by offering a suite of de-risked commercial technologies (TAC Process developed by Plastic Energy, followed by Axens’ Rewind Max and Rewind Mix processes) to produce a recycled naphtha equivalent to petrochemical naphtha through the proven pyrolysis pathway, thus enabling the production of food-grade recycled polyolefins (polyethylene, polypropylene). Additionally, Axens markets the Rewind PET process, which can reliably recycle all types of PET waste into a high-quality, virgin-like, recycled PET, suitable for all PET applications including food contact packaging or textiles. Sorema’s expertise in all the mechanical treatment operations of plastic waste allows to optimise feedstock preparation for advanced recycling units designed by Axens. Axens and Sorema are globally active, offering their integrated solutions from basic engineering design to the delivery of prefabricated modular units, empowering customers to efficiently execute their plastic recycling projects. www.sorema.it www.axens.net
9 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 03/25 www.petpla.net Uruguay launches first nationwide Deposit Return System (DRS) Uruguay’s national packaging recovery initiative, Plan Vale, agreed on Friday, February 21, 2025, to the terms with the consortium of CIEMSA, CSI, and Reverse Logistics Group (RLG) to implement the country’s first Deposit Return and Refund System (DRS) for single-use beverage containers. This project positions Uruguay as the first Latin American nation to adopt such a system, setting a precedent for efficient recycling and waste management in the region. The consortium has been entrusted with the system’s design, implementation, and operation under Plan Vale’s stewardship. The program, which is designed to incentivise the return of recyclable materials, will cover a wide array of packaging types, including PET plastics, aluminium cans, glass bottles, and carton beverages. Including these materials is expected to amplify the program’s environmental impact significantly. To facilitate this ambitious effort, RLG has partnered with CIEMSA and CSI, two long-established and experienced local firms, to support operations in Uruguay, which include material collection and transportation, as well as the construction and operation of counting and sorting centres. This collaboration will allow the transfer of RLG’s extensive global experience to DRS, which will ensure the system’s efficiency and reliability. The establishment of a local entity by RLG to manage the project is claimed to underscore the company’s commitment to the success of the DRS in Uruguay. The local team, already in place, is expected to grow as the project progresses, further embedding RLG’s expertise within the country. www.rev-log.com More than just VISION INSPECTION
EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 03/25 www.petpla.net 10 Family business for preforms and bottles of all kinds “Four out of six PET bottles on the market come from our factories” by Kay Barton The Aquah Group has several production sites in 6th of October City. What once started small has become one of the most important players in the country for more than four decades: the Aquah family, which gave the company its name, now has 13 sites in Egypt, primarily in the preforming and bottle blow moulding sector for all beverage, food and non-food segments, including medical packaging. In conversation with both CEO Karim Salah Al Aquah and VP Ahmed Salah Al Aquah, sons of the original founder Mr Salah Al Aquah, we not only visited various plants in the surrounding area, but above all learnt what it means to be guided by inspiration. Interview with The Aquah Group September 8, 2024 We met: Mr Karim Salah Al Aquah, CEO Mr Ahmed Salah Al Aquah, VP Karim Salah Al Aquah’s spacious office, where we sat down for the interview, is located on the top floor of the Aquah Group’s headquarters and offers a view of the industrial area from its window front. Diagonally opposite, at the other end of the room, hangs a document that actually started it all, as Karim explained to us, long before the Aquah Group itself existed, which today processes 60,000 t of PET. “My father is a chemical engineer and had a scholarship in Japan, where he attended a Plastics Technical Training course at the Osaka Municipal Technical Research Institute in 1979. There he was involved in the birth of the first PET preform production on a single-stage machine. He has always been fascinated by the possibilities of PET processing,” said Mr Al Aquah. This led to the founding of the Aquah Group in 1981, initially as a pure machine and product trading platform, the Egyptian Company for Industrial Suppliers (ECIS). “Over the years, we have helped shape interesting projects,” said the CEO. “For example, we hold patents for several injection and blow moulds in the Middle East and have developed a 340 g preform for foldable dispenser bottles with high IV together with Siapi. We designed the PepsiCo Aquafina bottle, which Siapi then produced with us.” In 2000, the father founded the Polypet division, which is also where we were at the meeting and in which 3,500 t/a of PET are produced into over 80 million preforms and bottles for a wide range of applications. This was followed in 2006 by the Egyptian Company for Agricultural Packaging (ECAP), specialising in large-volume PET containers for mineral water with around 30 million units per year and 500 million small-volume bottles for mineral water and edible oil. In the same year, the Egyptian Company for Fibers & Plastics (ECFP) was also founded, specialising in preforms for dairy products, detergents, edible oils, mineral water and soft drinks, both for domestic sales and exports, with a consumption of around 10,000 t/a of PET. Finally, Polytech for Plastics and Chemicals also started in 2006, specialising in large PET preforms, bottles and jars for the mineral water and food industry. “Our plants are located in various strategic locations on the outskirts of the capital Cairo,” said Mr Ahmed Salah Al Aquah, explaining the strategic setup. “Here in 6th of October City we mainly deal with preforms and dairy bottle production, in the 10th of Ramadan City we make preforms, pharmaceutical bottles and also produce plastic crates and pallets, another business segment in our group. Preforms and bottles for CSDs, detergents and pharmaceuticals are produced in Al Obour. In Al Sadat we take care of all bottle blowing related operations and in El Sokhna we have our supply chain management. All in all, four out of six PET bottles on the market come from us.” CEO Karim Salah Al Aquah next to a Husky HyPET HPP5e+ 300 line EDITOUR CEO Karim Salah Al Aquah next to his father’s certificate from the Technical Institute in Osaka
EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 03/25 www.petpla.net 11 On average, the group is growing by 5% annually. A special feature is the objective to invest around US$10 million annually in continuous expansion. A total of 750 employees work at the sites on a total area of 400,000m2, of which around two thirds are dedicated to production and one third to warehousing. In addition to the Egyptian market, the products are exported to the Middle East and the MENA region, including seven African countries. US exports also take place from time to time. For preforming, the group relies on 15 Husky HyPET HPP 300 and 500 systems of different model generations with cavities ranging from 72 to 144. The preform range goes from 8 g to 360 g for large containers and includes all common types. The CSD segment accounts for around 40% of the entire business, followed by water with 30%. The remainder is accounted for by all other segments. A special product that is also produced here is the PET can with an aluminium lid, which is shown to us in one part of the plant tour. RECYCLING SOLUTIONS HIGH PERFORMANCE CLEANING ADDITIVES & SUPPORT How can your recycled product meet permanently increasing demands? With the CHT range of high performance process solutions with environmental relief for the wet cleaning and recycling process. We support you directly on site and ensure your quality controls in our laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment. Thus, your strong position in the growing market is confirmed day by day. More about us at www.cht.com Karim Salah Al Aquah went on to explain: “We are currently selling our preforms even better for export, which ensures higher profits. In our view, we currently have an excess demand for preforms due to the recurring inflation that occurred in the Egyptian market.” www.aquahgroup.com Mr Al Aquah at a KHS InnoPET blow moulding line for dairy PET bottles
EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 03/25 www.petpla.net 12 Plastic packaging for personal care and cosmetics New directions for an established stationery manufacturer by Kay Barton Success stories can sometimes be unplanned or triggered by an external impulse. This is what happened to Prima Pens & Packaging, which was previously just called Prima Pens and was a wellknown brand for all kinds of writing utensils. You may have guessed: it didn’t stay that way, on the contrary. A good 20 years ago, the company with its production site east of Cairo began to develop a new business area, which centred on packaging for non-food items. And all because a wellknown household goods manufacturer had the idea that the company, with its expertise in plastics processing for pens, could also be a good partner in the field of plastic packaging. They were right. Interview with Prima Pens & Packaging // September 9, 2024 We met: Mr Tarek Zayed, General Manager A good 60 kilometres north-east of Cairo city lies the town of Badr, in whose industrial zone we had arranged to meet GM Tarek Zayed, more precisely in the Prima Pens & Packaging factory. The company, which started out in 1993 as a stationery factory and manufacturer of school supplies under the name ‘Yosran Company’, is firmly in family hands. Tarek Zayed, who studied history and then took several courses in business administration, has been part of the management team since 2013, following in his father’s footsteps. Around four years ago, the company changed its name to Prima Pens and the addition of ‘Packaging’ also followed in order to raise awareness of this area of the company, which is often still unknown to many brand connoisseurs. “We started our business with school supplies such as pens,” recalled Mr Zayed, with whom we were sitting in the meeting room. The Prima brand is still a leading manufacturer in this area today. “In 2003, my father received a surprising enquiry from Henkel, who asked him if he could blow mould PE and PP bottles for them and if he would be prepared to invest in the appropriate equipment. Of course, we had experience in injection moulding due to our plastic processing for pens, but the topic was new to us. In the end, we agreed, purchased a Taiwanese Parker EBM machine and got started in 2004. Over the course of the next ten years, the business with the household portfolio ran parallel to the stationery business. However, there was no reason for us to expand further, as the stationery business was booming. But then L’Oréal came knocking on our door.” The cosmetics giant, which had recently opened a plant in Egypt, was looking for a partner to manufacture a special fliptop cap, but was apparently not very impressed with the technical setup and applications when it visited the plant, and so the topic was initially taken off the table again. At the time, Prima Pens & Packaging had around 50 injection moulding machines for stationery products. “At the end of 2014, however, L’Oréal contacted us again about the feasibility of producing two different bottles for filling a hair care product and hair dye in plastic bottles and we agreed,” explained Mr Zayed. Production continued to pick up, and in 2015, bottles were added for Reckitt Benckiser. L’Oréal also needed more bottles as well as caps. In 2017, the converter started producing PE shampoo bottles for L’Oréal’s Elvive brand on a 4-cavity machine. “After a year and a half, they asked us for a chat. They wanted to General Manager Tarek Zayed with L’Oréal PET bottle on the ASB-70DHP EDITOUR Injection moulding area for caps
EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 03/25 www.petpla.net 13 EDITOUR 13 convert all of their shampoo bottles to PET packaging and orientated themselves on their European production facilities, where they produced their PET bottles using two-stage technology, which doesn’t make sense for the Egyptian market due to the much lower demand for huge quantities. We advised a one-step process, but this was not an option and unfortunately the deal didn’t go through,” said Mr Zayed. Instead, the cosmetics manufacturer commissioned a different converter, where the business relationship would continue to this day. Finally, in 2022, Mr Zayed’s father wanted to enter this sector due to the noticeable increase in demand for PET in the market. “He told me that we absolutely had to get involved, otherwise we would be excluding potentially important customers, so we bought a PET single-stage machine, an Aoki AL-500LL 50S.” When L’Oréal approached again, this time for 200ml and 600ml PET bottle formats for their Ultra Doux haircare brand, and agreed to single-stage production, the company invested in a Nissei ASB70DPH with R&D Leverage mould, which has now been operating at the plant since May 2023, producing various bottle formats for L’Oréal, including rPET processing, still a fairly new topic in the country. Five different recyclate variants are sourced from the recycler Bariq, two from Far Eastern producers. A second ASB-70DHP has been ordered and is on its way, as the first one is currently working to capacity, we were told. Looking at the figures, Mr Zayed said: “PET packaging currently accounts for about 20% of the total of about 9 million bottles a year and apart from a small portion on the Aoki, we produce everything on our ASB machine. Overall, we have a turnover of more than US$5 million for the packaging sector in general and this part is growing by around 20% a year.” L’Oréal is the largest customer with 20% of the total turnover and the converter is the main supplier for closures with around 5 million units. www.prima-pens.com Tarek Zayed in the EBM part of the company www.sacmi.com Product design Product development Product validation Industrial production plant Process & quality control On-site and start-up assistance After-sales and Customer service SACMI 4.0 THE COMPLETE CLOSURE, PREFORM AND CONTAINER SOLUTION FOR YOUR SMART FACTORY E N D L E S S I N N O V A T I O N S I N C E 1 9 1 9
MATERIALS / RECYCLING PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 03/25 www.petpla.net 14 PET packaging shows superior environmental performance, Brazilian report claims Life cycle assessment of PET bottles and liquid foods A comprehensive study and analysis of PET and other packaging materials claims that PET is the most environmentally friendly material available and is often very much more sustainable than aluminium, glass or steel. The report – “Lifecycle Assessment of PET Packaging for Liquid Foods” – looked at the entire value chain, from extraction of raw materials to recycling and including manufacturing, transportation, processing, end of life treatment and incidental pollution. The report was commissioned and produced by ABIPET, the Brazilian Association for the PET industry, which is obviously interested in promoting PET. However, the analysis was detailed, scrupulously researched and dispassionate, and subjected to independent review to internationallyrecognised standards. The methodology is clearly explained, open and transparent. While the study was exclusively focused on Brazil and primarily intended for use by its food and beverage sector, it has information and data that can be of use in other countries across the world. Higher performance in key areas The headline findings were that PET performs better than the alternative materials in six key areas: Climate change; Acidification; Land Occupation; Particulate Material; Ecotoxicity; and Water Consumption. The advantage in some areas is quite significant; PET’s potential for production of particulate materials, for example, is up to 98% less than that of glass and very nearly as much (97%) less than aluminium. Specific details are reproduced below. A further six areas were studied, which were: Ozone Depletion; Eutrophication (the excessive enrichment and stimulation of water, leading to algal blooms and overproduction of plant life); Human Toxicity; Photochemical Ozone Formation; Mineral Resources Depletion; and Fossil Fuels Depletion. Methodology The study used the new PET Packaging Life Cycle inventory, which was developed by teams at Brazil’s Food Technology Institute’s Packaging Technology Centre, which is linked to a government body, the State of São Paolo’s Secretariat of Agriculture and Supply. The inventory enabled an accurate comparison between types of packaging; the study was conducted by ACV Brasil, a firm that specialises in consulting and critical review services for life cycle assessments and circular economy study, as well as support for environmental labelling, software licensing and training. The study took several years to prepare and conduct. It required – and gained – the participation of leading players across the industry, including PET resin and packaging manufacturers, bottlers and distributers, plus distribution and marketing companies as well as producers like Amcor, CocaCola, Danone, Heineken, Indorama, PepsiCo and Cargill. A full list is given in the box-out. The life cycle assessment, when completed, was presented for critical review by experts in their field from major universities in Brazil, which helped to ensure that the results and conclusions were in accordance with the quality requirements of ABNT NBR ISO 14040: 2009 and 14040:2006 standards. The project broke new ground in the Brazilian food and beverage industry and broader environment, in terms of its breadth and technical content. It deliberately set out to bring scientific insight and rigour to bear on the entire environmental debate, as it relates to packaging. It now provides the whole market, from producers and supply chain all the way through to consumers, with the information necessary to genuinely informed debate. It means that decisions on environmental issues can be taken on technical and scientifically acceptable bases and helps the industry and market to move avoid mere guesswork and eliminate reliance on publications paid for by commercial interests and skewed towards promoting those interests.
MATERIALS / RECYCLING PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 03/25 www.petpla.net 15 Detailed studies The study considered a range of PET bottles of different sizes and for different purposes and compared them with packages made of aluminium, steel and glass. The PET bottles were from 250ml to 2l; water bottles of 500ml and 1,500ml were studied; soft drink bottles of 250, 600 and 2,000ml; and 900ml edible oil containers. Aluminium cans of 350ml, for water and soft drinks; 900ml steel edible oil cans; and glass bottles of 300ml (for water) and 250 ml (for soft drinks) were the specific items analysed. The PET value chain Whether produced in Brazil itself or imported from overseas, PET’s ultimate raw material is oil and petroleum products. It can be noted that the proportion of recycled PET being used in food and beverage is growing: 56.4% of postconsumer PET packaging is recycled in Brazil. The industry is driving efforts to use recycled materials. Bottle-to-bottle processing is prevalent in the Brazilian beverage industry. PET and HDPE resins are manufactured in chemical plants, from where they pass to processors who turn the material into bottle preforms, labels and caps. After being formed into bottles and filled, they are sent to market and then, after use, disposed of or collected and recycled. Every stage is taken into account, including transportation. Aluminium can value chain Aluminium cans are overwhelmingly produced from recycled aluminium cans – an established example of a circular economy. Energy costs for processing, casting and lamination are not much different between recycled and mined materials but the cost, energy and pollution involved in mining bauxite is significant. Like PET, aluminium undergoes filling, transportation, retail, final use and then disposal or, in the majority of cases, collection and recycling. Glass bottle value chain Glass is made out of recovered post-consumer and other glass, along with silica (sand); sodium hydroxide/ caustic soda, or lye; limestone and felspar. Production is the most energyintensive of all, requiring high levels of heat. There is no difference in energy consumption between glass made of recycled material and that made from virgin material. After bottling and retail, glass bottles are recycled or disposed of. Steel packaging value chain Steel is less widely used in food packaging than PET, glass or aluminium. Its chief use today is for larger containers of edible oils. Some raw material is recovered scrap but mining, of iron and tin, continues to play a big role in steel production. Primary and recycled steel, and metallic tin, are produced in separate facilities and brought together in the casting and laminating stage. Bottlers and fillers may have steel and PET containers under the same factory roof, going down parallel lines. Steel cans go through the same distribution, usage and disposal/collection process. Comparisons and findings Water bottles: 500ml and 1,500ml PET containers were compared with 350ml aluminium cans and 300ml disposable glass bottles. The 1,500ml PET bottle was the leading performer across almost all headings. The report says that this is because of the correlation between the mass of the package itself and volume of the transported product. Its total CO2 equivalent emissions were found to be 45% lower than the 350ml aluminium can and 94% lower than the 350ml glass bottle. Its total contribution to acidification was reported as 69% less than aluminium and 98% less than glass.
MATERIALS / RECYCLING PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 03/25 www.petpla.net 16 The PET 500ml also performed well: CO2 equivalent emissions were 28% less than 350ml aluminium and 92% less than 350ml glass; acidification was 60% lower than aluminium and 97% below glass. Soft drinks comparisons returned similar results. In this case, typical 2,000ml and 600ml PET bottles were compared with 350ml aluminium can and 250ml glass bottles. The 2l PET bottle was found to require 64% less water than aluminium cans during production and 88% less than glass. To put it the other way round, aluminium required three times as much water to produce than PET; glass requires over seven times as much. It was also found to contribute as much as 44% less to climate change than aluminium and 93% less than glass. In the case of disease-causing particulate material and ecotoxicity, PET was found to be much less harmful than aluminium or glass. The 600ml PET container almost matched the 2,000ml PET bottle’s performance against aluminium and glass. Finally, 900ml PET edible oil containers were compared with 900ml steel packages. The findings were much the same as for soft drinks and water: PET packaging is much less damaging to the environment, to health, to the land and to acidification. Production of steel uses 100 times as much water as PET. As noted previously, Brazil’s rate of post-consumer PET recycling is quite high by international standards, at 56.4%, according to the country’s latest PET Recycling Census. This leads to greater use of rPET in Brazil, leading to reduced demand for raw materials – all of which helps environmental performance. Compared to glass and aluminium, especially, recycled PET uses much less energy in manufacture. The leading users of rPET are preform and bottle manufacturers, who take nearly one-third of the total available. Non-food and beverage applications, ranging from textiles to industrial strapping, account for the rest. Conclusion The multi-year study found that PET is the best currently available material for food and beverage packaging, tion is greatly reduced. Although it is derived from petroleum products, its contributions to greenhouse gas emissions, acidification, water pollution and particulate emissions are much lower than other products. The report can be found at https://abipet.org.br/wp-content/ uploads/2024/10/Sumario-Executivoversao-fi nal-ingles.pdf Full list of corporate participants in the lifecycle study ADM, Alpek, Ambev, Amcor, Bunge, Cargill, Coca-Cola, Convenção Rj, Danone, Engepack, Femsa, Global Pet, Heineken, Imcopa, Indorama, Ldc, Mate Couro, Minalba, Pepsi, Petrópolis, Plastipak, Recofarma, Solar and Valgroup. compared to the leading competing materials of aluminium, glass and steel. It scores highly in terms of environmental, health, ecotoxicity, particulate and energy factors. Its hygiene, safety and mechanical resistance offer very high levels of product protection during handling and storage. Its lightness contributes to lower transportation costs and the fact that PET bottles are, generally, remanufactured rather than washed and reused means that water consumpWater packaging comparison Soft drink packaging comparison Edible oil packaging comparison
MATERIALS / RECYCLING PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 03/25 www.petpla.net 17 Wedon’t focus on clients’ problems EXW RQ ƓQGLQJ VPDUW VROXWLRQV IRU WKHP yellow.agency Swiss-engineered Preform Systems At Otto Systems we focus on solutions for special applications in PET preform production. We provide you with the most economical answers to your needs. Our unique system concept is based on smart modularity, proven performance, IXOO LQWHJUDWLRQ DQG PD[LPXP ŴH[LELOLW\ )URP LGHD WR RSHUDWLRQ 2WWR 6\VWHPV JLYHV \RX D GHFLVLYH FRPSHWLWLYH HGJH with your satisfaction as our guiding principle. Jump-start your PET preform production with us. RWWR V\VWHPV FRP CHINAPLAS 2025 APRIL 15–18 0HHW XV LQ +DOO %RRWK .
MATERIALS / RECYCLING PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 03/25 www.petpla.net 18 A circular economy through digitalisation, inclusion and fair wages App-based recycling model from India by Kay Barton In many parts of the world the waste sector is currently badly organised yet it plays a vital role in feeding valuable raw materials into the recycling stream. This is particularly the case where the political will is insufficient and there is a lack of official infrastructure, or where the volume of waste is increasing thanks to economic growth and its associated consumption. The waste sector is thus essential, contributing not only to recycling, but also to the livelihoods of millions of people worldwide. A full 58% of global plastics recycling depends on this informal sector, an estimated 15 million people. Surely there should be ways of connecting these people and their indispensable and admirable work more effectively with the waste management industry to establish a culture of transparency, fairness and safety. This is exactly what Plastics For Change (PFC) has done in India, creating the world’s first certified fair-trade recycled plastic as early as 2019. We took a look behind the scenes in an interview with CEO Andrew Almack. “Plastics For Change was founded in 2015 with the mission of using plastic waste as a resource to create better living conditions for the poorest. The original concept was to create a fair, ethical supply chain for plastic waste, enabling transparency and fair wages for workers in the informal recycling sector who are at the bottom of the recycling chain. By bridging the gap between manufacturers, brands and waste collectors, we wanted to create a sustainable and traceable system for recycled plastics,” Andrew Almack told us in our interview. The CEO has extensive experience in sustainability, marketing and environmental policy. He has worked with underserved communities, promoted fair trade and advocates for recycling infrastructure, local quality of life and political support for circular economies. “We want to improve working conditions in the sector, contribute to an improved quality of recycled plastic and support interested brands in sourcing ethically recycled materials. We also want to promote consumer interest and raise awareness of sustainability in the recycling industry.” Both brand owners and material buyers can participate in the scheme to source high quality recycled plastics and achieve their sustainability goals, “often at competitive prices”, we were told. Recycling companies can then purchase the waste and process it into recycled flakes or pellets - using the PFC app as a central component. It not only connects waste collectors with collection centres, but also enables transparent pricing and ensures that waste collectors receive fair compensation for their work and collected plastic waste. Furthermore the app features the possibility of monitoring transactions and payments are possible and simplified, according to Mr Almack. The collected waste and quantities would also be recorded for traceability. A real-time impact tracker helps brands measure the social impact and carbon offsets achieved through their partnership with PFC. Due to demand and recyclability, the company mainly focuses on high-quality plastics such as PET and HDPE. However, the system can also include LDPE, PP and multilayer packaging. The proportion of PET bottle waste is two-thirds overall. Currently around 80 large collection centres and over 20 recycling companies in India take part and PFC is expanding and developing its system in the Philippines. “We are also working on the recovery and processing of plastic resources from landfill and oceans to be recycled into new products,” said Andrew Almack (middle) at a participating collection centre with staff
MATERIALS / RECYCLING PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 03/25 www.petpla.net 19 Mr Almack. A holistic touch is added by efforts to collaborate with local organisations to provide support at a municipal level that goes beyond waste collection, for example in the areas of health, education and entrepreneurship. “Since launching our fair-trade recycled plastic, we have become the world’s largest source of fairly traded, verified recycled plastic. And we have seen an average annual growth triple over the past six years. Last year we were at US$5 million, for 2024 we expect a turnover of US$15 million. As 58% of global plastics recycling is driven by the informal waste economy, the company is strengthening both its market position and the living conditions of informal waste workers.” More than 14,300 waste pickers in India are currently using the system, which also gives them access to fair wages, protective equipment and training on safety and waste separation, and the trend is rising - also on the customer side. The 15 brands currently participating include Garnier, The Body Shop, Yves Rocher, Corman and MAC, which are also working together to fulfil the demands of consumers and authorities for more sustainable packaging and at the same time drive forward their marketing campaigns. “The rapidly growing demand for packaging in India presents both major challenges and opportunities for plastics recycling,” Mr Almack continued. “As consumption increases, so does plastic waste, putting immense pressure on waste management systems. The recently passed Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules 2022, with its Extended Producer Responsibility mandate, requires the integration of recycled content percentages in the packaging industry. This policy change forces companies to track their plastic consumption and set up systems for waste collection and recycling. Meeting these requirements is a challenge for brands, especially those that rely on virgin plastics, but it also pushes the industry towards sustainable practices. We can support brands with ethical sourcing solutions that not only help companies comply, but also have a social impact by providing them with a way to achieve sustainability goals while supporting the informal recycling sector in India.” Where PFC’s journey is heading is shown by expansion to the Philippines, where plastic waste volumes and the informal waste sector are also high. Further countries are to follow, and the company is actively looking for investors in order to continuously expand its collection network and infrastructure. But how does the company deal with demand versus availability, and the virgin vs recyclate pricing policy? And what more needs to be done on the consumer side to increase recycling awareness? “We meet the challenges of fluctuating prices for recycling materials, which make it difficult to offer competitive prices without affecting the wages of waste collectors, by diversifying our customer portfolio, concluding long-term contracts and closely monitoring the market. Increased recycling awareness requires both educating the population about the value of recycled materials and recognising the role of waste collectors in the recycling chain. To this end, we cooperate with local organisations and run information campaigns via social media to establish plastic as a valuable resource. PFC also works with brands on campaigns to promote sustainable practices and fair trade in recycled plastic and to raise consumer awareness of responsible consumption. In our view, the mix of technology-based transparency, social justice endeavours and fair-trade principles is what sets the plastics recycling industry apart.” www.plasticsforchange.org Lots of valuable material: collection point for PET bottles Collection and sorting of PET bottles The centrepiece of Plastics For Change’s system is the intelligent app
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTY0MjI=