Alpla Group unveils world’s first carbon-neutral recycled PET

Photo Credit: Alpla Group

Austria-based plastic packaging manufacturer and recycling specialist Alpla Group has unveiled what it’s calling the world’s first carbon-neutral production of recycled PET.

In an Oct. 12 statement, the company says it has switched its PET recycling team plants in Wöllersdorf, Austria and Radomsko, Poland to a mix of electricity from renewable sources for producing carbon-neutral recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET). Any remaining emissions – for example, to delivery of the input material to the plants – are then offset with carbon certificates, the company said.

“This step brought a big impact on the carbon footprint of our food-grade regranulate,” Georg Lässer, head of recycling at Alpla, said. “As per the calculations, emissions have been reduced by up to 90 percent as compared to virgin material.”

Based on life cycle assessments, Lässer continued, packaging types containing a high proportion of recycled material have the least impact on the climate. “We are once again demonstrating that close collaboration between packaging developers, packaging manufacturers and recycling experts can lead to solutions which set an example for the industry as a whole,” he said.