Alpla moving into HDPE recycling with Spanish acquisitions

Austrian plastics packaging firm Alpla has strengthened its recycling operations and entered into the high density polyethylene recycling market with the acquisition of two Spanish businesses.
 
The company said it signed the purchase agreements for the acquisition of Suminco SA in Montcada, near Barcelona, and Replacal SL in Palencia, north of Madrid, in October. Terms and conditions of the deal were not disclosed.
 
Both businesses, Alpla said in a Nov. 4 statement, belong to a Spanish family-owned enterprise with more than 35 years of experience in manufacturing HDPE recyclates.
 
The two plants have a combined workforce of 50 people and production capacity of 35 kilotonnes per year.
 
Post-acquisition, the businesses will continue to operate under the existing management, Alpla added.
 
“The investment in the two recycling plants in Spain brings us one step closer to our overall goal of being the leading manufacturer of sustainable plastic packaging,” said Georg Lässer, head of recycling at Alpla.
 
Alpla has earmarked 50 million euros ($55.7 million) for its sustainability measures, which include expanding its recycling activities and making all of its packaging solutions fully recyclable by 2025.
 
As part of this, the company intends to use “suitable recyclates” from the two Spanish businesses for packaging purposes.
 
Up until now, a large proportion of Suminco and Replacal’s HDPE recyclates went into corrugated pipes for sewage systems and other industrial applications.
 
“We are safeguarding our production plants’ material supply and are doing our bit to achieve a functioning circular economy,’ Lässer added.
 
Hard, Austria-based Alpla currently produces 70 kilotonnes of recycled PET at its two PET recycling plants in Austria and Poland and joint ventures in Mexico and Germany.