Thailand: Construction of a Recycling Plant Considered
The Austrian company ALPLA and Thai firm PTT Global Chemical (GC) will collaborate on a feasibility study for the construction of a recycling plant in Thailand.
The companies announced the plan at the “Circular Living Symposium 2019 – Upcycling Our Planet” in Bangkok at the end of June. The Austrian partner develops and produces plastic packaging solutions worldwide and has been active in recycling for more than 25 years. With two of its own recycling plants in Austria and Poland and joint ventures in Germany and Mexico, the plastics converter has since become a partner for PET recycling.
According to the information, GC serves as PTT Group’s chemical flagship. The company has committed to the principles of the circular economy with the aim of always optimising the use of resources. Examples of its commitment include the development of bioplastics as an alternative type of plastic and the implementation of effective waste management systems.
“GC will work with ALPLA to conduct a study on investing in the first high-quality circular plastic recycling plant in Thailand, including materials such as rPET and rHDPE. We will make a decision in the third quarter of this year after reviewing the results of the study,” Supattanapong Punmeechaow, President and CEO of GC, is cited.
Ambitious targets
As reported by ALPLA, the demand for recycled plastics is growing in Southeast Asia as well. In 2018 the company signed the Global Commitment of the New Plastics Economy, an initiative of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation together with the United Nations Environment Programme. ALPLA has set a target to expand its recycling activities, with an earmarked investment of 50 million Euro. Moreover, all packaging solutions should be fully recyclable by 2025. The volume of processed post-consumer recycled materials is to rise to 25 percent of total material usage.
ALPLA is considered one of the leading companies involved in plastic packaging. Around 20,800 employees worldwide produce custom-made packaging systems, bottles, closures and moulded parts at 178 sites across 46 countries. The high-quality packaging is used in a wide range of areas, including for food and drinks, cosmetics and care products, household detergents, washing and cleaning agents, pharmaceutical products, engine oils and lubricants.
The company operates its own recycling plants: PET Recycling Team with a site in both Austria and Poland, and in the form of joint ventures in Mexico and Germany. ALPLA has been cooperating with Texplast (Germany) on PET recycling since July 2018.
www.alpla.com
www.pttgcgroup.com
(GR 32019S)
