Carton recycling hub opens in Poland for EU service

With a joint investment of around €29 million by Tetra Pak and Stora Enso, a new recycling line for post-consumer beverage cartons is starting operations in Poland. The line has the potential to triple the annual recycling capacity of beverage cartons in the country, from 25,000 to 75,000 tonnes, and provides scope to absorb the entire volume of beverage cartons sold in Poland, as well as additional volumes from neighbouring countries, including the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, the companies say.  

The 50,000 tonne capacity line at Stora Enso’s production unit in Ostrołęka, Poland, handles solely beverage carton material separation, detaching fibres from polymers and aluminium. The fibres are then recycled into cardboard materials, effectively contributing to material circularity by turning used paper-based packaging into new paper-based packaging materials. This new paper recycling facility is complemented by Czech company Plastigram Industries, that, together with Tetra Pak, is industrialising a solution to recycle polyAl into new products. 

“For decades, we have been working to enhance beverage carton recycling capacity, co-investing with recyclers, technology providers and suppliers in new equipment and facilities” comments Lars Holmquist, EVP sustainability and communications at Tetra Pak. “In 2022, Tetra Pak contributed nearly €30 million to collection and recycling projects worldwide, with plans to go further and invest up to €40 million annually over the next years. As part of the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE), we support the industry ambition to increase the collection for recycling rate of beverage cartons to 90% and the recycling rate to 70%, in the EU, by 2030.I am very pleased to see that our collaboration with Stora Enso translates into one of the largest recycling hubs for beverage cartons in Europe, contributing to this ambition. This is also an excellent example of how systemic and collective actions can help keep quality renewable materials in the loop, such as paper fibres from recycled cartons.” 

Hannu Kasurinen, EVP packaging materials at Stora Enso, adds, “We are very pleased to see the results of our close cooperation with Tetra Pak, who, like Stora Enso, has the development of sustainable solutions at their core. This new modern solution marks a significant addition to European recycling capacity and a concrete step forward in the circularity of consumer packaging. In addition to complementing the current scope of our production site in Poland, the recycling facility will significantly contribute towards the recycling and waste reduction goals of the EU’s proposal for a Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.” 

The new line is signalling the beverage carton industry’s willingness to support the circularity goals of the proposed EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), showcasing the pivotal role of recycling in helping the green transition of the food packaging sector, Tetra Pak says. The industry has already invested approximately €200 million to increase the capacity for beverage carton recycling in the EU and plans to invest a further €120 million by 2027. 

 

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