Germany’s Raan Group (Herborn; www.raan-group.com) the parent company of waste and disposal service provider Reclay (Herborn; www.reclay-group.com), has taken a 25.8% stake in Finnish recycling association Suomen Uusiomuovi (Helsinki; www.uusiomuovi.fi).

The move is the second venture the German company has entered into in Finland in less than 12 months. Last year, Reclay established a waste management joint venture in Finland with Griffin Refineries (Helsinki; www.griffinrefineries.com – see Plasteurope.com of 13.09.2021).

Reclay management board member Antti Tiilikainen was appointed acting chair of Suomen Uusiomuovi in April 2022. The new-look trade body has opened its doors to firms processing a range of materials beyond plastics.

Related: Borealis JV with Reclay to recycle lightweight packaging waste

Tiilikainen said, “By covering all packaging materials with our offer, we create much needed competition in the Finnish market. This will ensure both greater cost efficiency and innovation, which in our previous international experience has always had a positive impact on the market.”

According to Suomen Uusiomuovi, 127,800 t of plastics packaging was put into the domestic market in 2021, from which was collected 52,989 t. Of that, 30,312 t – or 23.7% – was recycled.