Tomra Group Showcases Full-Chain Solutions at K 2025 to Boost Plastic Recycling Rates

At K 2025, the International Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber in Düsseldorf, Germany, TOMRA Group will, for the first time, present an integrated solution covering plastic reduction, recycling, and recovery, and will share current and future technological achievements in this field.

At this exhibition, TOMRA Group will comprehensively present various solutions to improve plastic recycling rates: TOMRA Recycling, TOMRA Feedstock, and TOMRA Collection will provide in-depth introductions to the current and future technologies in the fields of plastic collection, sorting, and precision sorting. TOMRA Reuse will showcase its reusable takeaway packaging system designed for urban and large event scenarios.

Tove Andersen, President and CEO of The LyondellBasell Group, stated: "For the past 50 years, LyondellBasell has consistently been a solution provider for improving plastic recycling rates. As the world's leading trade fair for the plastics and rubber industry, K 2025 in Düsseldorf, Germany, we have decided to concentrate on showcasing various solutions and technological achievements here, presenting more feasible pathways for customers and partners interested in achieving plastic reduction, recycling, and recovery through holistic solutions."

Recycling Division: Promoting the Establishment of a Plastic Circular Economy System

The Tomra Recycling business unit will focus on showcasing cutting-edge sorting technology that enhances the efficiency of plastic recycling. From the versatile Autosort sorting equipment, which can be paired with the GAINnext artificial intelligence system for complex material recognition, to the Innosort Flake and Autosort Flake sorting equipment designed for high-quality plastic flake sorting, Tomra's technology can assist recycling companies in meeting increasingly stringent quality requirements and regulatory standards.

Supporting the above solution are the cloud-based monitoring platform from TOMRA Insight and the AI-driven material analysis technology from PolyPerception—both of which can bring greater transparency and efficiency to sorting operations.

Katrin Fricke, the newly appointed Executive Vice President and Head of TaoLang Recycling Division, pointed out: "At K 2025, we will demonstrate that sorting is no longer limited to the recycling and quality upgrading of plastics — today's sorting technology focuses more on achieving the highest precision in material separation while enhancing the transparency and digitalization of sorting facilities. Our deep learning solutions, cloud-based monitoring systems, and intelligent waste analysis technologies are key to achieving this goal and promoting the full lifecycle recycling of plastics."

Collection Division: Supporting the Efficient Operation of the Beverage Container Recycling System

TOMRA Collection will showcase its industry-leading reverse vending technology, which is specifically designed for beverage container recycling. As a core support for many current deposit return schemes, it effectively incentivizes consumers to return beverage containers.

At the K 2025 exhibition, the division will focus on presenting three flagship products.

Tauron T9 Reverse Vending Machine

TOMRA R1 reverse vending machine with multiple input ports (users can deposit over 100 containers at once, without inserting them one by one)

MultiPac Air Backend Storage Solution

These three types of products can efficiently handle large volumes of beverage containers made from multiple materials. Not only do the systems operate at high speed, but they also have large storage capacities—providing ultimate convenience for recyclers while helping operators achieve efficient processing.

Frontier Exploration: Innovative Practices in New Business Fields

During the exhibition in Düsseldorf, Germany, Tomra Horizon, a division of the Tomra Group responsible for exploring new business opportunities, will also be showcased. The core mission of this department is to explore innovative application scenarios for Tomra's existing technologies and solutions, aiding in the construction of a circular economy system and enhancing resource utilization efficiency.

Tomra Feedstock focuses on building a closed-loop plastic recycling system and will launch the national-level plastic packaging sorting plant "Områ" in Norway in early November. This plant can separate plastics from mixed waste streams into 10 individual components, which can be directly used for high-quality recycled regeneration.

Tomra Reuse division has launched a city-level reusable takeaway packaging system pilot in Aarhus, Denmark since January 2024; this year, similar solutions will also be introduced in the historic center of Lisbon, Portugal. In addition, the team is developing pilot programs for large venues and event scenarios, and earlier this year, they launched a recycling collection point for recyclable cups, meal boxes, and bowls.

Lars Enge, Executive Vice President, Head of Strategy, and Head of Tomra Horizon at Tomra Group, stated: "Tomra Horizon is our platform focused on innovation. The two major business areas, Reuse and Feedstock, have great development potential—whether from an environmental impact or commercial value perspective, we see enormous opportunities. At the same time, we are continuously considering targeted investments to enhance our ability to lead the resource revolution."