Page 17 - Plastics News March 2021

CompAny news

Tesco launches soft plastic KraussMaffei Group sells

recycling points KraussMaffei Austria to Luger

K-based supermarket chain Tesco has introduced soft unich-based machinery
Uplastic recycling points across 171 stores in England Mmanufacturer KraussMaffei
and Wales. The recycling points accept all soft plastics, Group has sold its subsidiary
including bread bags, fruit and vegetable packaging, KraussMaffei Austria to the
crisp packets, salad bags, and pouches for baby and pet Austrian family-owned company
food. Customers can return their previously unrecycled Luger GmbH, where it will
soft plastic to their local point. The plastic will then continue to operate under
be washed, sorted and processed at a recycling centre the name KMAT Maschinen-
and turned into new packaging. This is the first time a und Service GmbH. With this
network of soft plastic collection points of this size has sale, the KraussMaffei Group is
been launched in the UK. Tesco is planning to launch the aiming to further intensify its
points at all large stores across the country. The company sales and service business in the Austrian and Hungarian
aims to collect and recycle 1,000t of soft plastic a year, markets for injection moulding, reaction process and
equivalent to 150 million standard loaf bags. Tesco quality extrusion machinery. More than 60 experts will be
director Sarah Bradbury said: “It is an absolute priority responsible for sales and support of plastics machinery
to remove and reduce as much plastic as possible and under the KraussMaffei and Netstal brands. Both
ensure everything we use is recycled and kept out of the brands belong to the KraussMaffei Group. Luger GmbH
environment. Where plastic serves an important purpose is headquartered in Purkersdorf, near Vienna. The
such as reducing food waste, these new recycling points company's business activities focus on sales, planning,
make sure that every piece can be easily recycled. “Trials assembly and service of machines and peripheral
have shown they are popular with customers, so we equipment for the plastics processing industry.
believe rolling them out at scale will have a real impact.” KraussMaffei and Luger had already extended their sales
cooperation in the middle of last year. KraussMaffei CEO
Tesco introduced the initiative after carrying out trials in Dr Michael Ruf said: "The sale of KraussMaffei Austria is
ten of its stores, during which participants returned more part of our strategic realignment. It will bring us even
than ten times the expected amount of plastic in total.
closer to our customers. With the sales and service
competence of Luger and its employees, we will be
able to act even faster and more efficiently in Austria
and Hungary in the future." Luger CEO Thomas Luger
added: "The integration of KraussMaffei Austria under
the future name KMAT Maschinen- und Service GmbH
will considerably strengthen us. We want to continue
the brand and maintain the pioneering spirit of the
KraussMaffei employees. For the future, we plan to be
able to offer the entire KraussMaffei product portfolio
and the complete range of peripheral equipment from
a single source. We will also operate in the market
with even more service technicians and thus be able to
Material collected at these recycling points has so far been look after our customers even more intensively." Luger
used to produce food-grade packaging for a selection of intends to expand its market presence in the coming
Tesco cheeses. Last March, the retailer stopped the sale years, particularly in Hungary. A modern technical
of plastic-wrapped multi-packs for its tinned products in center is to be built there in the greater Budapest area.
a move designed to eliminate 350t of plastic waste a year. Furthermore, Luger plans to hire additional Hungarian
It has also made significant steps to using more reusable specialists and to further expand its warehouse
packaging through its nationwide partnership with Loop. capacities.

17 March 2021 Plastics News