Food and drink packaging producer Tetra Pak has set out almost €40 million (£34m) of investment designed to boost carton recycling in Europe.
The firm outlined four major projects it kicked off last year to aid reprocessing of its products.
Tetra Pak said it was working with product developer Axjo Group in Sweden on a feasibility study to build a recycling line for layers of polyethylene and aluminium (polyAl).
The 10,000-tonne-capacity facility will incorporate the material into injection-moulded plastic products including cable drums, reels, spools and plastic storage boxes.
In Spain, Tetra Pak and waste firm Trans Sabater are to increase their installed polyAl recycling capacity from 3,000 tonnes to 10,000 tonnes per year.
Tetra Pak is also working with carton reprocessor Alier to transform the non-fibre material into pellets suitable for a variety of end markets. The duo’s ambition is to recycle over 15,000 tonnes of polyAl per year by 2025.
Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, Tetra Pak has invested €1m in Recon Polymers’ polyAl recycling plant, in a bid to increase the capacity to at least 8,000 tonnes per year.
Markus Pfanner, vice-president of sustainability operations at Tetra Pak, said: “For us, this goes beyond industry investment.
“It’s part of the transformation towards a circular economy and an investment in the future of the planet.
“Beverage cartons are recyclable. They are recycled wherever the necessary collection, sorting and recycling infrastructure is in place, at scale, so naturally, expanding this infrastructure is a priority for us. “
