Polyolefin manufacturer Borealis has teamed up with the environmental and material recovery experts of the Reclay Group, the company has announced. Together, the two have now launched Recelerate GmbH, an initiative designed to re-examine and streamline the process involved in the recycling of lightweight packaging recycling, ultimately with the goal of ensuring more post-consumer lightweight packaging (LWP) is sorted and recycled into high quality materials.
The companies came together in response to rising market demand for high-quality recyclates for use in high-end plastic applications and the need boost the output of these recyclates from current operations. Recelerate is envisioned as playing a critical connector role in the plastic value chain, connecting downstream and upstream expertise to rethink how LWP waste is managed, sorted, processed, and recycled.
The combination of Borealis’ available recycling expertise - the company has developed a proprietary technology dubbed Borcycle - and Reclay Group’s strength in the area of extended producer responsibility schemes (EPR) will enable a macro view approach to identify opportunities to add value and invest where it matters, to ensure more and more plastic waste from LWP is able to stay within the value chain.
As Raffael Fruscio, owner and managing director of the Reclay Group pointed out: “This is an important moment to build on existing strengths and get some momentum in creating smart, successful, sustainable models that more and more businesses, regions and communities can benefit from. Together we will ensure that valuable material is kept in the cycle.”
Both Borealis and Reclay anticipate significant benefits from the partnership.
For Reclay, Recelerate will help grow the reach, scale and impact of EPR; for Borealis, it will open up supply of post-consumer plastic waste to be recycled with its Borcycle recycling technology; for customers and consumers, it means greater access to high quality recycled materials. Recelerate will connect critical partners in the plastic value chain; closing the gap, and accelerating the growth and scaling of circular plastics.
“In line with our integrated approach toward more circular plastics, Recelerate will enable significant progress in waste feedstock optimisation,” said Lucrèce Foufopoulos, Borealis Executive Vice President Polyolefins, Innovation & Technology and Circular Economy Solutions.