Tomra calls on PET supply chain to close the loop

"We have an obligation to work with all stakeholders to reduce the mountains of waste and transform them into the valuable resources they are,” said Tomra CEO and President Tove Andersen speaking at that company’s press conference at the IFAT exhibition taking place this week in Munich, Germany.

Tomra, a company specialised in sophisticated sensor-based sorting systems for recycling, has long worked to promote and develop increasingly more accurate PET sorting processes with the help of advanced technology. Tomra currently invests approximately 10% of its revenues in future-oriented activities to increase resource efficiency, advancing the market for circular solutions.

What’s needed, however, are a clear political framework, bold decisions and smart investments to improve circularity across all material streams and to overcome today's supply chain bottlenecks.

As Andersen pointed out, first the pandemic and now the Ukraine war have thrown the need and urgency to decrease dependency on primary materials into sharp relief.

“We have the technology capable of maximising collection and recovery rates. We can act now, optimise waste management practices and fill existing gaps,” she concluded.

The European Green Deal, together with binding regulations and guidelines for producers and manufacturers, are propelling the transition to a circular economy forward. Tomra urges all participants in the value chain to see these specifications as an opportunity and to support their implementation.

Yet, the impact of any mandatory legislation will be less than optimal, as long as the collection systems continue to lag.

“There are well-functioning collection systems in place, but it is still not enough.  Every day we lose valuable resources to landfill and incineration where they are buried and burned. This is low-hanging fruit and the material must be collected, recovered and recycled,” said Dr. Volker Rehrmann, EVP, Head of Recycling/Mining & Circular Economy.

Resource circularity is a bigger topic than plastics alone. Closed-loop systems should be in place for material streams such as metals and wood as well, argued Tom Eng, SVP Head of Recycling.

“We must pay equal attention to these recyclables to support reaching the EU's climate neutrality goals set for 2050", he said.  

"If we leverage the power of intelligent technologies and closely work with the industry, we can turn waste into value and reduce the dependency on primary materials. Recycling is a key climate mitigator and energy-efficient route to go when supporting a sustainable transition, keeping materials in continuous use. Whatever it takes to close the loop, we will get there.”