By mid-2022, the company will double its food-grade rPET production to 80 million pounds.

Greg Johnson, vice president of Evergreen, said that plastic recycling company Evergreen is expanding its plant in Clyde, Ohio, which will increase its processing capacity for food-grade recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) every year Approximately 40 million pounds increased to 80 million pounds per year. President.

At the end of last year, the company added six robots to its sorting line, which were provided by Amp Robotics of Denver, Colorado. After the robotic sorter was the optical sorter on the entire bottle sorting line, Johnson said they helped improve the consistency and quality of the material. He added that the robot is negatively sorting PET bottles, removing colored bottles or bottles with certain labels and non-PET bottles that may have passed through an optical sorter. He said that robots provide "final touches" and "cannot replace color sorters."

Johnson stated that Evergreen is also using equipment from Tomra Sorting Recycling in Germany to upgrade four of the six optical sheet sorters on its washing line.

To accommodate the third pelletizing line, Evergreen expanded its 240,000 square foot facility by 54,000 square feet. The pelletizing production line will be provided by Vienna-based Starlinger. Johnson said that Evergreen's other two pelletizing lines were provided by Erema, an Austrian company with a subsidiary in Ipswich, Massachusetts. These include the Vacurema Advanced extrusion system installed in 2004 and the Vacurema Prime extrusion system installed in 2011.

Evergreen will also install two solid state polycondensation (SSP) reactors from Starlinger on its two pelletizing lines. According to Starlinger, the SSP reactor can purify flakes and increase the intrinsic viscosity of the company's rPET pellets.

Johnson said that the expansion project will break ground in May, and the new pellet production line is expected to go online in mid-2022. "This building will be completed in the fourth quarter," he said. "After that, we will begin equipment installation, which will be launched in mid-2022."

Given the current shipping-related issues and the equipment will come from Europe, Johnson said the company's timetable takes into account potential delays. "It seems that everything is hopeful now."

After the expansion is complete, Johnson stated that all of the company's pelletizing lines will use a similar setup, which will enable Evergreen to produce transparent food-grade pellets for the bottle and sheet market.

"The demand for rPET is very high," he said. "We hope that as demand grows."

Polychem changed its name and expanded services to Evergreen's parent company. Polychem LLC, located in Mentor, Ohio, also announced a new name and new business strategy. The company that provides terminal packaging solutions has changed its name to Greenbridge, which is said to better reflect its product and service portfolio, many of which are made from 100% recycled materials, and its new strategy to help large companies. The company achieves its circular economy goals, reduces reliance on landfills, and achieves its environmental and social governance (ESG) goals.

In a press release about these changes, Greenbridge CEO Omar Abuaita said that the United States’ re-emphasis on the environment has resonated with consumers, and they want the companies they support to take on more responsibilities. Recognizing the opportunity to bridge the gap between current operations and a true circular economy model, the company has stimulated its advantages in recycling, reuse and sustainable business practices to provide customers with packaging, consumer goods and industrial products with comprehensive sustainability Development solutions.

"Since 1974, Polychem has used recycled plastic to make strapping and rope products," he said. "But here are some little-known facts. We recycle more than 1 billion PET bottles every year, and we produce 40 million pounds of rPET [ie] new bottles and containers used to make food, beverages, health, and beauty products. We annually It also recycles and recycles hundreds of tons of waste that would have gone into landfills, or even worse, into the ocean.

“Now, as Greenbridge, our nearly 50 years of experience in recycling and sustainability brings to major companies that recognize the need to truly change their operations to meet circular economy and ESG goals and expectations,” Abuaita continued. "We can and are currently helping brands achieve measurable results."

Greenbridge will continue to provide a fully integrated end packaging product portfolio to the North American market, including polyester, polypropylene and steel belts and ropes; tools, equipment and systems; and equipment maintenance and services. It will also provide rPET and its new sustainability service suite.

Lindsey Krauth, vice president of Greenbridge Human Resources, said the company and its Evergreen division are expanding, which means these companies are hiring. "With the expansion and the speed of our growth, we are hiring in every aspect: IT, technical staff, and sales staff." Although Evergreen uses automation, she says that 75% to 80% of the workforce is in production.

The company has partnered with Pratt Industries to develop cardboard packaging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect trees.

To commemorate Earth Day, HelloFresh introduced cardboard packaging made from 100% post-consumer recycled content for its HelloFresh and EveryPlate lunch boxes. HelloFresh said the food delivery company has partnered with Pratt Industries, a food packaging manufacturer in Conyers, Georgia, to help reduce 6,800 tons of greenhouse gas emissions and save more than 115,000 trees in a year.

The cardboard boxes of Pratt Industries are made of 100% recycled paper. This performance-based packaging protects food during transportation while providing a more sustainable solution.

According to a HelloFresh press release, using these cardboard boxes to ship meal packages from HelloFresh's Georgia and Texas distribution centers will help have a meaningful, positive environmental impact. This includes saving more than 115,000 trees and 47.6 million gallons of water each year, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 6,800 tons. 

"Pratt Industries is honored to be part of HelloFresh's promotion of sustainable development," said Chris Stanton, President of Pratt Specialty Group. "To build better packaging, the ultimate goal is to reuse the packaging again. It requires a unified and thoughtful approach. HelloFresh truly has a cutting-edge vision of sustainable development, and our team is grateful to like-minded environmental leaders."

HelloFresh also implemented a new analytical Box Fit program, which allocates the smallest possible box size to customers' orders based on the volume and size of its content. The company said that using this algorithm in the fulfillment process can increase the use of small boxes to 60%, thereby eliminating unnecessary packaging. The plan also reduces the use of cold packs and insulation materials, and increases the number of boxes suitable for truck delivery. 

"Our packaging method is to avoid using it as much as possible. HelloFresh US Director of Sustainability Jeff Yorzyk said: "When packaging plays an important role in protecting the quality and safety of the food in our meal packs, we are committed to reducing or optimizing it. The recyclability. "The use of cutting-edge technology and the new 100% recycled cardboard from Pratt Industries are two important steps towards a sustainable leading packaging solution for meal packages. " 

The introduction of sustainable packaging supports HelloFresh's long-term strategy to lead the industry in sustainable business practices. This includes offsetting 100% of carbon emissions and using demand-driven subscription models. HelloFresh stated that the model minimizes food waste throughout the supply chain, and then only sends the exact ingredients that customers need to cook. According to the HelloFresh Global Food Waste Research and USDA data, this can reduce household food waste by 25% compared to food purchased in grocery stores.

"Our goal for ever changing the way people eat is to better access fresh ingredients in a more sustainable way. This includes continuous innovation, investment, and partnerships with sustainability leaders such as Pratt Industries to improve recyclability and Minimize the environmental impact of our meal pack packaging," said Uwe Voss, CEO of HelloFresh US. An important step towards realizing our long-term sustainable development strategy. "

These companies have chosen recycling technology to build facilities in France and Belgium.

Ineos Styrolution, a polystyrene producer based in Frankfurt, Germany, and Trinseo of Berwyn, Pennsylvania, announced a partnership with Recycling Technologies of Swindon, UK, to build two polystyrene (PS) recycling plants in Europe. The two companies hope to make PS a recycled material through depolymerization.

After evaluating the technology options, these companies chose Recycling Technologies as the PS commercial-scale recycling technology provider. The two companies stated that due to the combination of the company’s fluidized bed reactor and the expertise of its technical team, they determined that the Recycling Technologies solution provided the highest yield in the conversion of PS to styrene monomer, and provided The most scalable solution. 

Recycling Technologies is an expert in the chemical recycling of mixed plastics.

"Our collaboration with Ineos Styrolution and Trinseo is a strong recognition of our technology's ability to recycle polystyrene," said Adrian Griffiths, CEO and founder of Recycling Technologies. "We look forward to working with these two world-leading companies to build Europe's first chemical polystyrene recycling facility."

The two companies stated that the properties of PS allow for complete recycling because the used PS can be returned to its chemical structural unit before being polymerized again. The recovered PS will have the same characteristics as the original PS.

According to reports, life cycle assessment calculations show that compared with naphtha production PS, greenhouse gas emissions are “significantly reduced”.

Before building a commercial-scale recycling plant, a PS recycling pilot plant will be established in the UK in 2022. The three companies will develop PS technology there and launch it in their commercial factories. According to "Packaging News", the pilot plant will provide information and data related to chemical recycling and operations to support the future development of commercial-scale recycling plants.

Ineos Styrolution said it plans to build a commercial-scale recycling facility in Wenger, France. Trinseo will build a factory in Tessenderlo, Belgium, which is expected to be operational in 2023. The goal of each plant is to convert 15,000 metric tons of PS waste into recycled styrene each year.

"It turns out that polystyrene is a wonderful polymer. Depolymerization is not only an effective recycling method, but also allows recycling while maintaining food contact compliance," Trinseo Plastics and Raw Materials Vice President and Styrenics Said Nicolas Joly, President of Circular Solutions.

During the meeting, lawyers and recyclers discussed how the EJ policy affects waste recyclers and best practices for interacting with the community.

Environmental justice (EJ) has been a concern for waste recyclers for many years. In 1994, former President Bill Clinton passed Executive Order No. 12898 (EO), which instructed federal agencies to determine and address the disproportionately serious and adverse health effects of their programs, policies, and activities on ethnic minorities and low-income people Or environmental impact.

However, in the past year, federal and state government officials have been talking about updating existing EJ regulations or passing new measures. The governors of Connecticut and New Jersey signed new EJ legislation in 2020.

During ISRI2021, the online conference of the Waste Recycling Industry Association (ISRI) in Washington was held from April 20-22 and April 27-29. Attorneys and a recycler discussed how the EJ policy affects waste recyclers. It also provided the best practices for interacting with relevant communities to introduce EJ in the conference titled "What do we get from local and vocal music".

At the meeting, William Kirk, a partner of Washington-based K&L Gates LLP, emphasized that EJ cannot be an afterthought.

"According to reports, a famous CEO of a large company said that if you are not at the table, you might be on the menu," Kirk said. "This means that if you don't participate in the policy process that affects you at all levels, you will happen without such participation."

"I might spend 15 hours talking about this topic, but the concept of environmental justice is that our communities, regardless of race, are treated fairly," said Beveridge and the head of the diamond company Julius Reid. The company was a litigation consultant and EJ was practicing in Washington when he started the meeting.

Redd said that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines environmental justice as fair treatment. All people, regardless of race, color, nationality or income, have meaningful participation in the formulation, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies. . He added that EJ is also important outside the United States, and explained that the United Nations Development Program defines EJ as "a wrong accountability mechanism that protects rights and prevents punishments related to the disproportionate growth of poverty and vulnerable groups. Increased pollution and ecosystems Service degradation, and inequality in the use and benefits of natural assets and extracted resources."

Although there is no single EJ law, Redd stated that the EJ principle plays a role in several regulations at the federal level. EJ was primarily involved in Clinton’s EO 12898, which instructed federal agencies to be responsible for making EJ part of its solution. However, he explained that many critics today believe that Clinton's 1994 EO "doesn't do enough" to support EJ. In addition, he said that EJ is involved in a number of civil rights laws, such as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on discrimination in federal funding recipients and Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 on federal housing discrimination.

Reid said that the Biden administration has taken steps to advance the EJ work. Biden released EO 14008 on January 20 to address the domestic and international climate crisis. The EO has a government-wide approach and revised EO 12898 passed by Clinton as a way to strengthen institutional accountability. EO 14008 also increased the focus on federal EJ specific enforcement and improved access to data in frontline and fenced communities. Redd said that the new EO goal is an investment in the EJ community.

When considering how recycling companies can and should respond to EJ measures, Redd said, "Most companies want to consider some common best practices."

He said that the most important thing is that the company should set a baseline. They can do this by formulating EJ policies and external-facing EJ declarations. At the same time, the company should educate employees with EJ to make them aware of this.

Second, Redd said that the company should specify and take action by establishing EJ-specific processes. This means developing an implementation plan that incorporates EJ considerations into day-to-day decisions, including monitoring mechanisms for project and community relations, as well as documenting processes for project development and responding to community complaints. In addition, the company should increase the public's publicity and participation in site selection decisions and environmental permits.

He pointed out that public propaganda should not be ignored. "Involve meaningful participation and make sure you understand the stakeholders in the community," Reid said. "This is especially important when there is no problem, so if you want to expand the license or facility to increase the operation time comes, you have established trust and partnership with the community, and they will see you as a good corporate citizen. of."

Although it takes time to connect with the community, Kirk said this is important for many reasons.

"One of the reasons you participate and speak up at the local level is to give [the] the opportunity to define who you are," Kirk said. "In the field of public policy, one of the worst things you can do is to let others define who you are, and then you have to spend time trying to eliminate information that may be misleading."

He continued, "You need to explain to people what the recycling industry is; you need to be honest and straightforward. Talk about your technological leadership; talk about your overall solution to Americans’ concerns about the impact of pollution and climate change. Position. Engaging with policymakers and stakeholders gives you the opportunity to define yourself."

Recyclers will want to work with multiple stakeholders, including community activists and local policymakers.

During the meeting, Brian Shine, president of the Manitoba Company based in Lancaster, New York, added that as a company, it can be tempting to “play low-key” and explained his business This position has been adopted for many years.

"Our approach is to fly under the radar-low-key and do what we are good at financially. We are not good at putting this first, nor are we good at sharing our outstanding work with the local community," he said. "This is something we all need to improve together."

Shine stated that scrap recycling companies should try not to "react" to EJ, but to be proactive and ahead of it. In addition, he said that the management team of a waste recycling company "must synchronize" how they will solve EJ-related issues. "This requires culture-oriented and good communication within your organization so that all employees are aligned with you."

At Manitoba, Shine said he has always focused on reaching out to the community and introducing them to his business. He said he did this by inviting local policymakers to visit his facilities and supporting various community fundraising activities.

"All of this is more than just writing a check," he said. "Writing a check is one thing, but in my opinion, it is more important to save face and show your commitment and interest to the entire community. In my opinion, if you only write a check, you are harming your company. ."

Another way to participate is to attend a local chamber of commerce meeting, which Shine says helped him get to know other business leaders in the community.

Finally, he said, introduce the neighbors next door and respond to their concerns. He said that if there is a complaint, please use this way of interaction to build constructiveness with your neighbors. Shine recommends solving this problem-whether it is a noise complaint or a pollution complaint-and then invite neighbors to visit the scene.

As a member of the consortium, Braskem's Director of Circular Economy has joined Cyclyx's Executive Advisory Committee.

Cyclyx International LLC, a post-use plastics management company based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, announced that Braskem, a polyolefin producer and biopolymer producer based in Philadelphia, has joined Cyclyx as a member of the consortium.

Therefore, Geoffrey Inch, Braskem's Director of Sustainability and Circular Economy, has joined the Cyclyx Executive Advisory Committee.

As a member of the Cyclyx Alliance, Braskem can use the Cyclyx platform, which includes a complete set of innovations, including the chemical characterization of plastics and predictive modeling of raw material sources to product paths, customized raw material formulations, and customized supply chains. According to Cyclyx's press release, these innovations aim to provide waste plastic raw materials suitable for existing and new machinery and advanced recycling methods.

"We are delighted to welcome Braskem as a founding member of Cyclyx and to add Geoffrey Inch to our advisory board," said Joe Vaillancourt, CEO of Cyclyx. “Braskem’s extensive experience in the biopolymer industry and their commitment to eliminate plastic waste in a carbon neutral and circular economy have made them an important member of our alliance and strengthened our members’ commitment to increase the recycling rate of plastics after use. Increase from 10% to 90%."

“As a leader in the North American polypropylene sector, Braskem is very happy to be a founding member of Cyclyx,” Inch added. “Braskem has a long history of using sustainable raw materials and is committed to working together to improve the recycling of plastics. We believe that Cyclyx has solved some of the key challenges that will enable advanced recycling to scale, which is a certified development for our customers An important step for the circular polypropylene."

In addition, Braskem recently announced a new commitment to a carbon-neutral circular economy, with the goal of increasing the company's “I am Green” recycling product portfolio to 300,000 tons in 2025 and 1 million tons in 2030, Cyclyx said. In 2020, Braskem also became a founding member and funding partner of the Polypropylene Recycling Alliance, an initiative of recycling partners to increase roadside recycling of polypropylene in the United States. Braskem is also a founding member of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste.