Austria-based recycling technology company Erema premiered its new recycling system Xtreme Renew at its annual Discovery Day, held at its headquarters in Ansfelden on 1 June.
Erema, in collaboration with Italian PET packaging solutions company Sipa, presented the Xtreme Renew to over 250 guests. The system enables the direct and flexible processing of washed PET flakes to produce preforms which, Erema states, is the dawn of a new era in PET recycling.
Christoph Wöss, Business Development Manager for Bottle Applications at EREMA, addressed worries that due to the low oil price PET recycling may not currently be profitable, saying: "In my experience with customers, the reason why a producer decides in favour of a major investment in a recycling solution is based on a broad-sighted, entrepreneurial approach. Only those companies which are willing and able to adapt will remain in the constantly fluctuating plastics industry in the long term. Thanks to the collaboration with SIPA we make it possible for plastics producers to show the necessary flexibility."
Enrico Gribaudo, Sipa General Manager, said: "We are proud to have developed such a sustainable product together with Erema. Sustainable in the sense of the company and sustainable in the sense of the environment. Moreover, the processing gives you unrivalled benefits in logistics. Xtreme Renew not only saves space, CO2 and energy, it also reduces costs."
1.2 million tonnes of PET recycled so far worldwide with Vacurema technology and the Xtreme Renew system, due to its intermediate cooling stage in production, allows preforms to be made in a single step, states Erema.
Erema saw record sales of €122m in 2015, up 5% on 2014's sales.