IVL, a global chemicals company, accelerates PET pallet recycling

        Global sustainable chemicals producer Indorama Ventures (IVL) and AMB Spa have announced a new partnership that will see the two companies aim to divert more than 150 million post-consumer PET trays from landfill or incineration by the end of 2025, through recycling into film for food packaging trays.

        From pallets to film, accelerating the development of a circular economy for PET

        The Indorama Ventures plant in Verdun, France, has reportedly been able to produce r-PET flakes from post-consumer pallets on a commercial scale. These r-PET flakes are being used by AMB to produce food-grade transparent film from these flakes. This collaboration and technological development will help AMB increase the recycled content from pallets in its final products, while assisting Indorama Ventures in achieving its goal of a circular economy for PET pallets and saving "millions" of post-consumer PET pallets from landfill and incineration.

        Packaging Recyclability and Food Safety

        Indorama Ventures is also targeting growth in global PET recycling rates, with a goal of 750,000 tonnes of post-consumer PET packaging per year by 2025. Meanwhile, AMB’s pallet-to-pallet recycling brand, “AMB TrayRevive”, seeks to build infrastructure for recyclable packaging and achieve the EU’s goal of converting all packaging into recyclable raw materials at scale by 2035.

        AMB Chief Procurement Officer Paolo Cescutti explained: “Consumers are concerned about sustainability and food safety and want the food trays they use to be recyclable. By working with Indorama Ventures, we are making it possible to recycle the material, which means we can turn more plastic waste into safe food-grade packaging.

        “Food processors and consumers can trust that AMB products offer true recyclability and food safety. With the expertise of Indorama Ventures, we are proud to be one of the pioneers in bringing this technology to market.” ” said Paolo Cescutti.

        DK Agarwal, Deputy CEO and Executive President of the Joint PET Business Unit at Indorama Ventures, said: “Every new collaboration with sustainable packaging leaders like AMB paves the way for a circular economy for PET trays and extends the life cycle of PET. This means we use less raw materials while reducing waste and carbon emissions during production. Indorama Ventures was one of the first companies to invest in the recyclability of PET food trays because we support the creation of a circular economy that prevents used products from ending up in landfill or incineration. We are excited to see this process develop as the technological capabilities develop. ”