#Recycling / Circular Economy

2020-12-03

New recycling capacity in France and Poland to recycle 10 billion PET bottles in Europe by 2023

10 billion post-consumer PET plastic bottles from across Europe will be recycled per year by 2023 in Indorama Ventures’ new and expanded facilities in France and Poland. Thai-based Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL) is investing USD1.5 billion globally to expand its recycling facilities. The new investment, that will see over 1.7 billion additional post-consumer PET plastic bottles recycled, was welcomed today by UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe, whose members have committed to use recycled PET (rPET) in their bottles.

Indorama Ventures expands facilities Soft Drinks Industry driving value chain investment in recycling

“Today we are announcing a new recycling facility in Verdun France and expansion of two recently acquired facilities in Bielsko-Biala and Leczyca Poland. Combined with our existing European facilities, IVL will recycle almost 10 billion post-consumer PET plastic bottles in Europe per year, by 2023. François LAGRUE, Head of Operations – Europe, Indorama Ventures Recycling Group said, This new expanded capacity will mean that, in our facilities alone, an extra 1.7 billion more bottles will be recycled in 2023, compared with 2020. This will lend significant support in realising the EU’s plastic collection and recycling targets.

“This investment in recycling is made possible because of our customers. Their commitment to bottle-to-bottle recycling allows us to invest in the infrastructure Europe needs. These new and expanded recycling facilities will support our shared goal of closed-loop and sustainable packaging solutions.”

In 2019, Indorama Ventures announced it would be aiming for a minimum of 750,000 metric tons of rPET globally by 2025, investing up to USD1.5 billion to achieve this goal. IVL’s new plant in Verdun along with recent acquisitions in Bielsko-Biala and Leczyca will work with their existing PET flake production facilities in Europe. Verdun will be commissioned in Q4 2021 and IMP Polowat’s facilities in Poland were acquired in October 2020. These provide the washed and shredded post-consumer bottles as PET flake feedstock to produce rPET resin that is suitable for food contact use. The input tonnage processed is equivalent to 9.8 billion post-consumer bottles. PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is 100% recyclable and the most collected and recycled plastic packaging in Europe

Nicholas Hodac, Director General of UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe said, “We welcome this investment in Europe’s circular economy. Europe’s soft drinks industry is working hard to drive sustainability throughout its value chain - from sourcing, production and distribution through to packaging, collection, recycling and reuse. This investment is another proof point that circularity works in Europe. By delivering a closed-loop system we ensure that valuable secondary raw material is not wasted and we achieve a well-functioning EU market.”

In 2018, UNESDA agreed a series of ambitions to make its plastic packaging more sustainable. This included using a minimum of 25 percent recycled PET (rPET) content in bottles by 2025. As a result, investment in recycling has been stimulated and rolled out. Many UNESDA members – including Suntory, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola – have gone further and announced ambitious targets for even more recycled content in Europe’s favourite soft drink bottles.

“We must ensure that the right infrastructure is in place - starting with efficient collection schemes - and that all stakeholders play their part in order to achieve a circular economy for plastic bottles. Today’s announcement is a sign that our members’ commitment is driving investment and delivering real results. PET bottles can be collected and recycled at very high rates in a closed-loop system, which also enables the industry to boost the uptake of recycled content in bottles. It is another example demonstrating that circularity works.”

“Production is a product”

From technical textiles and AI-driven robotics to the limitations of textile circularity: Professor Dr Thomas Gries looks back on more than two decades of development at ITA Aachen. In the interview, he explains why production technology remains a decisive success factor, discusses international collaborations and innovation ecosystems, and shares his views on the transformation of production landscapes and the challenges facing an increasingly regulated industry.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

Reju expands textile-to-textile recycling network with six international fabric manufacturers

Reju, a textile-to-textile regeneration company, is expanding its industrial network through collaborations with six fabric manufacturers in Europe and the Americas. The initiative aims to accelerate the integration of regenerated polyester into textile manufacturing and support the development of finished fabrics for commercial applications.

Trützschler expands technical service capabilities for spinning mills in Pakistan

Faster support, shorter downtime and advanced repair capabilities: customers across Pakistan can now benefit from the Trützschler Service Station at its new location in Lahore. By combining Trützschler service expertise with state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, the new facility helps spinning mills resolve technical issues more quickly and maintain reliable production.

Stäubli to introduce new S3292 dobby for high-speed weaving at ITME India 2026

Stäubli will introduce its new S3292 dobby at ITME India 2026, taking place from December 4 to 9 at the India Expo Centre & Mart in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Designed for high-speed air-jet weaving, the new machine will be among the highlights of the company's presentation, which also includes warp preparation systems, cam motions, Jacquard technologies and digital services.

DITF develops bio-based binding fibers for wood-fiber insulation materials

As part of the CelluWoodFlex project, the German Institutes of Textile- and Fiber-Research in Denkendorf (DITF) are developing bio-based cellulose ester fibers as alternative binding fibers for flexible wood fiber insulation materials. In addition to the spinning process and the production of suitable staple fibers, the institute is also investigating how wood and cellulose fibers can be separated and recycled at the end of their useful life.

Magnera highlights HighPleat™ filtration media technology at FiltXPO 2026

At FiltXPO 2026, held on October 28–29 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Magnera highlighted advances in air filtration media architecture, with a particular focus on its HighPleat™ platform for MERV 8–10 applications. The technology combines a lofted fiber structure with optimized pore architecture to address the challenge of balancing filtration efficiency, airflow resistance and contaminant-holding capacity.

Ahlstrom expands depth filtration media production capacity at US facility

Ahlstrom has completed a major investment in its Kingston manufacturing facility in New York, USA, expanding production capacity for high-performance depth filtration media. The modernization of Line 3 is designed to improve manufacturing efficiency, enhance quality control and increase flexibility in producing different product widths.