PET recycling in India on the growth

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a high-value material that is on course to take over a key function in the plastics industry’s path toward a circular economy. PET plays an ever more important role in recycling, due to the large volume of packaging materials in use today. PET is a very highvalue material, possessing extremely good properties for reprocessing. It is continuously expanding use in single and reusable bottles, as well as its recovery via deposit systems, add to its value. Correspondingly, it can be lucrative for companies to focus on PET recycling.

Meanwhile, according to the United Nations Development Programme, India generates approximately 15 million tonnes/year of plastic waste but only one fourth is recycled. While more than 10% of this plastic waste is PET and up to 90% is recycled, the recycled material is generally not high quality, resulting in low levels of circularity.

Leading the way, Indian plastic recycling and waste management company Srichakra Polyplast (Srichakra) has officially commissioned its upgraded facility, the first of its kind in India to produce food-grade quality rPET pellets. The company has also commissioned its new polyolefins recycling facility that can produce deodorised bottle-tobottle grade quality polyolefin pellets. The company has invested more than US$10 million to strengthen its recycling capabilities, which allow it to offer recycled plastic to customers in India and global markets such as Europe and the US.

Srichakra says its world-class facility features US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved technology provided by Austria’s Starlinger, which expands the company’s capacity to become the largest solid state polymerised (SSP) PET processor in India. Srichakra adds that it can produce food-grade quality PET pellets, which can be used to produce food and beverage packaging such as water, carbonated soft drink and juice bottles as well as takeaway containers; and high quality deodorised polyolefin pellets, which can be used in home and personal care product packaging such as lotion, shampoo and detergent bottles.

Circulate Capital invested in Srichakra in December 2020 and this has allowed Srichakra to grow its team two-fold to employ 200 workers from local communities. It has also provided upskilling opportunities for employees through training with the Starlinger technology and team.

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