Green tie-ups: Greenback/Amcor partner for recycling in UK; Eastman/Doloop partner for 100% rPET bottle

UK-based advanced recycling company founded in 2018, Greenback Recycling Technologies, has deployed its Enval advanced recycling module at packaging firm Amcor’s facility in Heanor, Derbyshire, where it will undergo a six-month commissioning and trial phase.

This significant step marks the first time Greenback’s modular chemical recycling technology is showcased, it adds. Amcor aims to showcase the potential for co-locating modular recycling units within existing industrial infrastructure. The module’s installation at Heanor will predominantly convert household post-consumer flexible packaging waste.

Greenback’s advanced recycling technology is designed to process post-consumer flexible packaging, including multilaminate materials, and convert it into high-quality pyrolytic oil, suitable for producing food-grade plastics.

The entire recycling process will be verified using the eco2Veritas traceability platform. This software uses artificial intelligence and Internet of Things devices to capture all process data from the receipt of waste through to the production of pyrolytic oil. The oil carries digital certificate of provenance, which is passed onward in the value chain providing crucial data for mass-balance allocation as the oil is converted into recycled plastics.

The Heanor trials are expected to play a pivotal role in validating the commercial and environmental benefits of the process. If successful, Amcor has expressed interest in additional modules at Heanor or other Amcor sites. The Greenback technology could allow Amcor to eventually offer a fully circular solution for flexible packaging to its customers, it adds.

The module is financed by the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW). The trial marks a shared commitment among Greenback, Amcor and AEPW to addressing the world’s plastic waste challenge through innovation, infrastructure and partnership.

In other news US materials firm Eastman and Doloop, a frontrunner in PET packaging solutions, have unveiled a 100% recycled PET (rPET) beverage bottle.

The bottle is produced from Eastar Renew EN031, Eastman's chemically recycled PET. With decades of experience in preforms and PET bottles, Doloop converts Eastman Eastar Renew PET resin.

"Doloop has long been a pioneer in regenerative PET packaging," said Dovydas Stulpinas, CEO of Doloop. "Partnering with Eastman enables us to offer the beverage industry a solution that meets the highest sustainability and quality standards."

Eric Dehouck, managing director of Eastman's circular economy platform, added, "Innovation has positioned Eastman to lead, but collaboration is essential for plastic packaging to become circular. The Doloop relationship illustrates how supplier partnerships play a key role in preparing a market to address not only existing regulations but also those on the horizon."

Eastman and Doloop's joint tie-up also highlights the strong market potential in regions with advanced deposit-return systems, such as the Nordic countries, where the demand for high-quality recycled content is rapidly growing.

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