Study confirms the excellent carbon footprint of recycled PET

Experts calculated the carbon footprint of rPET: savings of 79 per cent

Recycled PET (rPET) from PET Recycling Team GmbH – a wholly owned subsidiary of ALPLA based in Wöllersdorf/Lower Austria – results in 79 per cent lower CO₂ emissions compared to new material. This is a significantly higher saving than previously assumed. A study conducted by denkstatt GmbH on behalf of ALPLA came to this conclusion.

ALPLA, a leading international producer of plastic packaging solutions, has been working on PET recycling for over 20 years. Although the economic conditions for the recycling of plastic are currently difficult due to the low price of oil, ALPLA continues to follow this cornerstone of its sustainability strategy. To highlight the value of recycling PET plastic, ALPLA commissioned denkstatt GmbH to calculate the carbon footprint for rPET.

rPET reduces CO₂ emissions and conserves fossil fuels

The result of the study exceeds previous assumptions. The rPET produced by PET Recycling Team GmbH in Wöllersdorf has a carbon footprint of 0.45 kg CO₂ equivalent per kilogram of rPET. Virgin PET, or new material, accounts for a CO₂ equivalent of 2.15 kg per kilogram. This corresponds to a CO₂ equivalent of 1.7 kg or 79 per cent lower greenhouse gas emissions for rPET. Plant manager Peter Fröschel explains: ‘The savings for a single kilogram of rPET are enough to power a 13-watt bulb continuously for twenty days in the Austrian power mix.’

Entire recycling process examined in detail

The carbon footprint was calculated in accordance with ISO 14044, starting with the collection and sorting of used PET bottles, covering transportation to the recycling plant in Wöllersdorf, through to washing, processing and granulating. The analysis is based on the mass and energy balance (electricity and gas consumption) for 2016 at the Wöllersdorf recycling plant in Austria.

ALPLA invests in recycling
ALPLA has decades of experience in the recycling of PET, as well as in the processing of recycled plastics. ALPLA operates recycling enterprises at three sites – a joint venture in Mexico, the wholly owned subsidiary PET Recycling Team in Wöllersdorf and a new recycling plant built in southern Poland in 2013. The annual capacity of these plants is around 65,000 tonnes of food-grade rPET.

‘We are witnessing a clear trend towards PET packaging. And not just in summer, when the beverage industry enjoys a boom due to hot weather,’ says Fröschel. This makes it all the more important to collect used packaging and return recyclable materials to the production process. ‘Our recycling plants play a key role in this regard,’ the plant manager concludes.

More information: www.petrecyclingteam.com

Factbox - PET Recycling Team GmbH:
2005 Founded in Wöllersdorf
2010 ALPLA becomes a majority shareholder
2012 Subsidiary company PRT Radomsko constructed (southern Poland)
Employees: 50 in Wöllersdorf (75 in Radomsko)
Annual capacity: 35,000 rPET in food-grade quality
Products: PET pellets (food-safe and non-food-safe), PET flakes, PO flakes

What does the term carbon footprint mean?
The carbon footprint or environmental impact indicates the amount of greenhouse gas emissions (e.g. CO₂, methane, nitrous oxide) that occur throughout the entire life cycle of a product or a service. It is calculated for a defined functional unit – in this case for a kilogram of rPET, produced in 2016 at the Wöllersdorf recycling plant of PET Recycling Team GmbH (part of the ALPLA Group). For further general information about the calculation, please see www.carbonfootprint.at 

About ALPLA:
ALPLA is one of the leading companies in plastic packaging. Around 18,300 employees worldwide produce custom-made packaging systems, bottles, closures and moulded parts at 172 sites across 45 countries. The high-quality packaging is used in a wide range of areas, including for food and drinks, cosmetics and care products, household detergents, washing and cleaning agents, engine oils and lubricants. ALPLA celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2015.