Veolia’s Plastiloop finds success in Asia

The first edition of the Plastics Recycling Show Asia (PRS Asia) held in Singapore on Nov. 13 and 14 proved a runaway success. The show attracted more than 2,300 attendees from across the region and beyond.

During her opening address before an overflowing conference theatre, Dr Amy Khor, senior minister of state for the Ministry of Sustainability & the Environment in the Singapore Government, said she was excited to witness the innovations and initiatives that will emerge from the event.

“We can set higher standards, inspire industries, and make a lasting impact, not only on the waste and recycling sector here in Singapore, but across Asia and beyond,” Dr Amy Khor said.

Veolia was one of dozens of exhibitors at PRS Asia. The France-based waste, water and energy management company used the opportunity to showcase the success of its Plastiloop plastics recycling initiative in the region.

During an interview on the show floor, Jeffrey Yau, commercial director Asia plastics recycling at Veolia revealed that 12 out of Veolia’s 37 plastics recycling plants are located in Asia. Plastiloop’s journey started with its first plastics recycling found in the Netherlands since 1969. In 2024, the company recruited its latest plant in Portugal to the PlastiLoop network. Last year, Veolia produced 500,000 tonnes of recycled plastic across 16 countries.

Asia footprint

In Asia, Veolia first established its footprint in China, Japan, and South Korea. It has since further reinforced its presence in those countries, as well as building the largest PET bottle recycling plant in Indonesia, in partnership with Danone Aqua. That facility processes approximately 1 billion bottles per year and produces 25,000 tonnes of high-quality food grade pellets. Located in Pasuruan, Java, it employs 250 workers and involves over 4,000 informal waste collectors.

In China, Veolia operates state-of-the-art facilities for food-grade recycled plastics, including PET, PP, and HDPE, catering to food, beverage, and cosmetic companies such as L’Oréal.

It commissioned its latest plant in Japan this March, dedicated to PET bottle-to-bottle recycling, as part of a joint venture with local corporations including convenience store chain 7-Eleven. Another Japanese facility processes automotive and home appliance waste, supplying recycled materials back to the automotive sector.

In South Korea, Veolia operates its only chemical recycling plant where it processes artificial marble using R&E’s technology. The 35,000 tonnes/year facility supplies LG Chem and Lotte Chemical with recycled MMA, widely used in home appliances and electronic products.

Mechanical recycling, nonetheless, remains Veolia’s key focus, Jeffrey Yau said.

“Our primary focus is in mechanical recycling, we opened this chemical recycling plant in Korea because there was demand in the market and we concluded we could play a good role in this very niche segment,” he explained.

Focus on traceability

As the company continues to grow its recycling operations, Jeffrey Yau points to its Green Path programme as a key factor in its success.

“We prioritise quality, traceability, and sustainability. Our Green Path programme tracks carbon emissions across our operations, ensuring transparency for our clients,” he said.

The programme uses operational audits and tools to calculate the environmental footprint of Veolia’s operations. The company has achieved full traceability for plastic waste at the factory gate, meaning Veolia’s clients can trace their recyclate up to the sorting stage.

“We need more commitment from our brand owners,” Jeffrey Yau noted. “It is challenging to introduce more measures if your offtakers do not think it is valuable to them. The brand owners now are focusing more on securing enough material to meet upcoming recycled content targets. As they see the value in extending traceability further up to the waste chain, we are ready to support and go into it.”

Extending traceability to waste collection is becoming the emerging priority for brand owners because consumers are more educated about the role of recycled plastic in reducing waste and starting to think about when they buy something with recycled plastic on it, where does it come from?’ Jeffrey Yau noted.

Product collaborations

Veolia’s stand showcased some of the products it has co-developed with its clients using recycled plastics. These ranged from the reliable rPET bottle to lightweight rPP components for the automotive industry.

Another example is the OWE-POT, a flowerpot made from recycled plastic which features a sophisticated drainage system. Veolia produced the recycled plastic in its PlastiLoop Hwaseong plant in Korea which OWE Project, a sustainable product designer in Korea, transformed into a flowerpot. The product went on to win the prestigious Red Dot Design Award 2024 and is now on display at the Singaporean Red Dot Design Museum.