EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 06/25 www.petpla.net 14 Editour Sponsors to date Hertex observes a widening price gap between recycled PET (rPET) and virgin PET (vPET) - a trend the company considers critical for the industry. Producing your own rPET: A sustainable advantage With a global presence in the plastics trade since 1979, Hertex specialises in PET and recycled materials. CEO Jerry A. Herculeijns, who has led the company since 2005, has extensive insight into market dynamics and pricing trends in both virgin and recycled materials. Now featuring Virtual Navigator – achieve sustainability in every cycle XVLQJ VPDUW HɝFLHQW SURFHVV FRQWURO Process Pilot+® Agr’s Process Pilot+ system delivers an automated, predictive response tailored to your unique bottle design and blowmolder characteristics ensuring optimization, consistency and repeatability. Start producing your best product today as we push to change global packaging technology one solution at a time. | www.agrintl.com | +1.724.482.2163 ™ Visit us at 15-19 September 2025 Münich, Germany Stand C6-521 Interview with Hertex // June 17, 2025 Due to low oil prices, virgin PET is currently available for around 1,000€/t, while rPET remains significantly more expensive - reaching up to 1,800€/t. “In Europe, many bottlers are reverting to the legally mandated minimum of 25% rPET content,” explains Herculeijns. “Even with a virgin plastics tax - such as the 450€/t levy in Spain - vPET is still more cost-effective than rPET as of June 2025.” Seasonality is another influencing factor. By June, bottlers have typically secured their annual supply contracts. Subsequent orders for the autumn and winter months tend to be smaller, given the seasonal decline in beverage consumption. They doen’t expect the market to stabilise before autumn at the earliest. Currently, Hertex’s sales are evenly split between virgin PET and rPET, with an annual turnover around 150M €. Since 2022, the company has been producing a significant portion of its own rPET. Three years ago, Hertex acquired STF Recycling’s flake-to-granulate production site in Aicha vorm Wald, Germany, and consolidated operations under the newly formed Eco Polymers GmbH. The facility includes polycondensation and extrusion systems from Viscostar (Starlinger) and Erema, enabling efficient production of bottlegrade rPET with an intrinsic viscosity (IV) of 0.82 dL/g in approximately 6 h. Over the past three years, Hertex has made substantial investments in its subsidiary, including the installation of advanced laser-based flake sorting systems from Unisensor, which ensure the reliable removal of contaminants such as PVC. With a production capacity of up to 36,000 t/a, approximately 95% of Hertex’s rPET output is used in the bottle sector. Further investments in capacity and technology are expected soon. www.hertex.ch F.l.t.r.: Marcel Illien COO at Hertex and Jerry A. Herculeijns, CEO of Hertex & Eco Polymers GmbH by Alexander Büchler
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