A small-scale PET recycling project, but one with a few large-scale names behind it, is creating sample bottles partially made from marine debris.
The effort created some 300 bottles for Coca-Cola Co. through a process developed by Ioniqa Technologies BV of Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The bottles were made from 25 percent plastic recovered from the Mediterranean Sea and beaches.
Coca-Cola and its project partners, which include PET maker Indorama Ventures and marine debris cleanup group Mares Circulars, proved that degraded marine plastics can be transformed into food and beverage packaging.
“The impact of improved recycling will be felt on a global scale. By working with Coca-Cola and Indorama to produce this bottle, our goal is to show what this technology can offer,” Ioniqa CEO Tonnis Hooghoudt said in a statement.
According to the company, Ioniqa uses depolymerization technology to make new food-safe clear PET bottles.
Bruno van Gompel is Coca-Cola’s Western Europe Technical and Supply Chain Director.
“Improved recycling technologies are enormously exciting, not only for us but also for industry and society in general,” he said in a statement. “They accelerate the prospect of a closed-loop economy for plastics, which is why we are investing behind them. As these begin to scale, we will see all kinds of used plastics returned, like new, not just once, but once. and again again, diverting waste streams from incineration and landfill. “
But the environmental group Greenpeace had doubts and said that a better solution would be to change the business model to use rechargeable and reusable containers.
“Using marine plastics in a few bottles will not prevent Coca-Cola products from polluting beaches around the world. It is a narrative that feels good to ease pressure on the company’s plastics issue,” he said John Hocevar, Greenpeace USA Oceans campaign manager. a declaration.
However, Yash Lohia, as director of recycling at Indorama, sees great potential in the approach.
“PET of any quality can now be recycled and recycled, while also resulting in a lower carbon footprint for packaging,” Lohia said in a statement.
