ALPLA Launches Recycling Process Assessment Project Aiming to Produce Food-Grade rHDPE

ALPLA is developing a future-oriented food-safe HDPE recycling material solution. The international packaging and recycling expert is currently collaborating with the independent technology organization NTCP at its pilot plant in Heerenveen to evaluate this patented solvent-based process. The innovative project is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth and is planned to last for four years. Coinciding with the launch of PPWR 2030, this innovative solution will gradually be scaled up to industrial production.

The testing goal is to obtain approval from the European Food Safety Authority.

Starting from 2030, the EU packaging must contain a minimum percentage of recycled materials. ALPLA and NTCP are developing a future-proof and cost-effective plastic food packaging solution. This patented recycling technology is expected to provide food-safe recycled HDPE (rHDPE) on an industrial scale for the first time. After years of research and successful laboratory results, the two project partners have just begun evaluating a solvent-based process at the NTCP site in Heerenveen.

The patent technology will undergo intensive testing of all process steps as part of a collaborative innovation project. The goal is to obtain approval from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in the near future. The construction and operation of the pilot plant will provide valuable insights for scaling up the process. ALPLA has established its own recycling company in the Netherlands to achieve this purpose.

" So far, there is no certified process for producing food-grade recycled HDPE in the EU. Our efficient technology for cleaning and processing post-consumer recycled materials may bring about a real game changer.Michael Heyde, Head of the Recycling Department at ALPLA, explained.

The recycling capacity is 400,000 tons.