PETnews 6 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 11/24 www.petpla.net Alpla opens state-of-the-art recycling plant in South Africa – Production plant to supply up to 35,000 t/a of rPET material from 2025 Alpla is entering the South African PET recycling market. The international packaging and recycling specialist has just opened the state-of-the-art plant, which is located on a 90,000m2 site in the coastal town of Ballito, after a construction period of around 18 months. The company has invested 60 million euros in the new plant in the province of KwaZuluNatal and is setting the course for further growth in South Africa, providing an economic boost to the densely populated province of KwaZulu-Natal and the iLembe district. From 2025, the Alpla recycling division will produce up to 35,000 t of rPET flakes and food-safe rPET pellets annually in South Africa The high-quality material will then be processed into safe, affordable and sustainable plastic packaging at Alpla’s production plant in Lanseria. At the opening ceremony on October 31, Alpla Chairman Günther Lehner, together with Dietmar Marin, Managing Director of Alpla recycling, and Plant Manager Gerhard Meyringer, welcomed around 180 guests from the worlds of business and politics including representatives from the South African Ministries of Trade, Industry and Competition and Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, representatives from the province of KwaZulu-Natal, the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality and the iLembe District Municipality, as well as Austria’s Ambassador Romana Königsbrun. “South Africa is a strategically important market for us and one in which we want to continue to grow. Together with our customers and partners, our aim is to provide safe, affordable and sustainable packaging solutions to our customers and to continue improving standards of living. With our investments in Ballito and before that in Lanseria, we have laid the foundation for a successful future,” says Alpla CEO Philipp Lehner. “Alpla’s involvement does not only accelerate the industrialisation of iLembe District Municipality, but ensures investing in projects that support UN Sustainable Development Goals, attracting other companies along the value chain and creating several thousand jobs in the collection infrastructure,” says Sihle Ngcamu, CEO of Trade & Investment KwaZulu-Natal. The Ballito recycling plant will have an initial output capacity of 35,000 t of rPET flakes, of which 16,000 t will be processed into rPET pellets. A state-of-the-art extrusion line has been installed for this purpose. Once all processes have been qualified and the flakes and pellets have been approved by the customer, Alpla will start production in early 2025. www.alpla.com Avantium celebrates the official opening of its FDCA flagship plant Avantium N.V., a well-known company in renewable and circular polymers, celebrated the official opening ceremony of its FDCA Flagship Plant in Delfzijl, the Netherlands. The plant opening was officiated by Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, in the presence of international and local dignitaries, partners and Avantium employees. In the world’s first commercial plant, Avantium will produce 5 kt of FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid), the essential building block for 100% plant-based and circular plastic PEF (polyethylene furanoate), known under the brand name Releaf. Avantium’s Releaf is a new material set to transform the plastics industry, with versatile applications including bottles, packaging, films, and textiles. Avantium and SCGC to accelerate the market adoption for FDCA and PEF in Asia Avantium and SCGC, through SENFI Ventures, is a cornerstone investor in Avantium and furthermore collaborates with Avantium in CO2-based polymers technology. Building on their strategic intent letter from January 2024, the companies have decided to take the next step in their collaboration and accelerate the market adoption for FDCA and PEF in Asia. This is backed by Avantium’s achievement in securing global industrial-scale capacity reservations and Flagship Plant offtake agreements in key markets such as rigid packaging and apparel. A joint team will work with local and global brands to validate the market potential, further develop FDCA and PEF applications, and enhance volume commitments across the region to underpin future largescale production in Asia. www.avantium.com
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