Coveris opens a new "ReCover" recycling plant in Louth, UK, for the recycling of printed polyethylene films. "ReCover" is a recently established business unit of the packaging manufacturer that produces high-quality recyclates from plastic waste in a pioneering process. The new facility in Louth is the second in the packaging company's portfolio. "When we started to develop 'ReCover', our ambition was to close the loop and introduce a new business model, establishing ourselves as a recycler with a clear leadership in technological know-how. With 'ReCover Louth' we opened the second facility, which represents the next achievement milestone in our agenda," says Christian Kolarik, CEO of Coveris.
The recycling facility in Loth puts printed PE packaging film from industrial waste (PIW) to further use, supporting Coveris' 'No Waste' vision and the wider sustainability efforts in the packaging sector in the UK and European Union. The specialized facility is located on the site of Coveris Louth's PE extrusion and conversion plant and uses a novel deinking process that removes the inks from printed packaging film waste. These are then regranulated back into high quality recycled PE granules ("ReGen"). Over the past two years, Loth has expanded its capacity to create a recycling plant that is unique to the packaging industry. It makes it possible to reliably produce high-quality recycled granulate for the manufacture of packaging films in larger quantities. This results in considerable advantages for the environment. Fewer new raw materials are needed, waste is avoided and the plastic remains part of a closed cycle. The plant also includes a fully equipped laboratory to support the innovation process, quality control and monitoring of the recyclate, and its use in the extrusion of Coveris films with recycled content.
Coveris Louth has a long history of recycling printed film waste that was previously recycled into construction film. With the development and opening of the deinking recycling facility, the company is now able to process printed film waste into granules and recycle them into high-performance packaging for the non-food sector, including beverage shrink films and hygiene paper repackaging. The annual production capacity is 5,000 tons of granules. The recycling plant uses Coveris Group's own printed production waste, customer production waste and suitable industrial waste from the packaging industry. The "ReGen" granulate is initially used to meet the Coveris Group's need for recycled content in production. This is in line with the UK Plastic Packaging Tax and also supports the objectives of the UK Plastic Pact, which aims to keep plastic out of nature and keep it in the circular economy for longer.
The new recycling plant in Loth is the second site in Coveris' closed-loop recycling business. In December 2022, the company unveiled "ReCover." At the same time, it also announced the purchase of a mechanical recycling plant for post-consumer waste. This is now operated under the name "ReCover Blaenavon". These two sites will allow the company to optimize the recycling of industrial and post-consumer PE waste, moving closer to its goal of creating a closed plastic loop. Martin Davis, president of Coveris' Films business, says: "Sustainability is at the heart of our business and the development and opening of 'ReCover Louth', our second recycling facility, is a significant step in our 'No Waste' journey. We are passionate about packaging and the value it brings; I am extremely proud of the Coveris and 'ReCover Louth' teams for our ambitious and pioneering approach to developing and exploring new technologies to create a more sustainable future for packaging."
