Page 38 - Plastics news December 2023

FEATURE

ALPLA: Recycled Plastic Reduces Carbon Consumption By Up To 87 Per Cent

Coca-Cola FEMSA and The Coca-
Cola Company. It has an annual pro-
duction capacity of 16,000 tonnes of
rPET. According to the analysis, pro-
duction causes only 0.38 kg of CO2e
per kilogram, which is 87 per cent less
than virgin PET (2.90 kg of CO2e per
kilogram).

The rPET production capacity in
Mexico will be increased to 51,000
tonnes next year. The PLANETA plant
(Planta Nueva Ecología de Tabasco) in
Cunduacán is currently being built in
cooperation with Coca-Cola FEMSA.
ecycling works: plastic packaging ALPLArecycling produces rPET and The joint venture partners are set-
Rspecialist ALPLA operates state- rHDPE, which produces up to 87 per ting new collection priorities with
of-the-art plants worldwide under cent fewer carbon emissions than vir- the model of paying for the receipt
the brand ALPLArecycling for the gin materials. of used PET bottles and with social
production of rPET (recycled PET) ‘The figures confirm our path. We cooperations. ‘Recycling is a key el-
and rHDPE (recycled HDPE). Calcu- produce climate-friendly recycling ement in packaging solutions of the
lation of the product carbon footprint solutions with a regional focus and future. We want to convince people
by the independent consultancy c7- convert the material into new pack- of the benefits and are drawing on
consult now provides new data for a aging, thereby promoting the bottle- substantiated data to do so. Exact
total of four plants in Mexico and Ger- to-bottle loop. In this way, we ensure analysis of our plants also enables us
many. Carbon reductions of up to 87 there are safe, affordable and sustain- to improve our ecological footprint
per cent compared to virgin materials able packaging solutions all over the in a targeted manner,’ explains Carlos
confirm the climate protection effect world,’ emphasises Georg Lässer, Torres Ballesteros, ALPLA Managing
of recycled plastics and the ecologi- Director of Business Development, Director, Mexico, Central America
cal importance of regional bottle-to- Procurement and Sales, Recycling, at and the Caribbean.
bottle loop
ALPLA. Germany: household recyclables col-
ALPLA is focusing on the circular Circular economy pioneers in Mexico lection
economy: the global packaging spe-
cialist invests more than 50 million ALPLArecycling produces 30,000 with an annual production capacity of
euros annually in recycling and uses tonnes of rHDPE per year at its Toluca 43,000 tonnes of rPET, ALPLArecy-
state-of-the-art technologies to pro- recycling plant in Mexico. Production cling is one of the largest PET recy-
duce recycled material. With an in- in Toluca causes 0.69 kg of CO2e per cling companies in Germany. Materials
stalled and projected output capac- kilogram. This is 70 per cent fewer sourced from household recyclables
ity of 350,000 tonnes per year, the emissions than with HDPE virgin ma- collection are processed at the site
company is one of the world’s leading teria kilogram). ALPLA has been op- in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Saxony-Anhalt.
plastics recyclers. Analyses performed erating what was the first PET recy- Unique sorting and processing plants
by the life cycle assessment specialist cling plant in Latin America at the time were built worldwide for this pur-
c7-consult now confirm efficient pro- in Toluca since 2005 within the joint pose in 2019. Recycling PET bottles
duction at a total of four additional venture IMER (Industria Mexicana de from household collection leads to
sites in Mexico and Germany. There, Reciclaje S.A. de C.V.) together with a slightly higher energy requirement

38 PLASTICS NEWSASTICS NEWS December 2023
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