Packaging specialists Alpla (Hard / Austria; www.alpla.com) and Fromm (Cham / Switzerland; www.fromm-pack.com) have agreed on a cooperation for PET recycling. Both companies operate recycling plants for PET bottles, ensuring supply of raw materials for their own facilities. The partnership aims to raise recycling rates and significantly reduce CO₂ emissions with a reduction in transportation. Other benefits include simplified access to the markets in Austria and Switzerland. The companies have not disclosed details of the collaboration.

"The requirements at our production sites complement one another very well. At Alpla, we mainly need clear, food-grade pellets. Fromm processes coloured flakes for the strapping bands," says Georg Lässer, head of corporate recycling services at Alpla. He adds that the collaboration between the recycling facilities will ensure both the quantity and quality of materials for production.

The Fromm group includes German PET recycling company Texplast (Wolfen; www.texplast.de), a subsidiary of Fromm Plastics (Kölleda / Germany; www.fromm-plastics.de) since 2004. Texplast produces PET recyclate and flakes, which Fromm primarily uses for its own production of strapping, but a part of which also goes to beverage bottle manufacturers. Texplast claims to be one of the leading Western European PET recyclers, especially from used beverage bottles, with a bottles input capacity of more than 50,000 t/y. Fromm specialises in PET strapping, air cushion packaging and stretch films, as well as related machinery and equipment. The Swiss group has production sites in Italy, Germany, the US, Thailand, Chile and Slovakia.