US-based PureCycle Technologies has entered into a collaboration with Landbell Group to expand polypropylene (PP) plastic recycling in Europe.
Landbell Group offers closed-loop recycling solutions and operates more than 40 producer responsibility organisations globally.
The collaboration will focus on upcycling PP waste into recycled PP for applications across the continent.
PureCycle Belgium will apply its dissolution recycling process, leveraging experience from PureCycle’s flagship plant in Ohio, US, which is expected to have an annual capacity of 48,600 tonnes (t) once it becomes completely operational.
PureCycle stated that its purification process transforms PP into a replenishable resource.
The resulting PP recyclate can serve as a drop-in replacement for virgin PP, offering multiple recycling and reuse opportunities.
Specifically, PureCycle’s PureFive recyclate is claimed to be fully recyclable and is already in use in commercial applications across the US.
Last year in January, the Belgium unit of PureCycle and Landbell Group commenced working towards allowing the advanced recycling of PP waste in Europe.
Under the collaboration, Landbell Group will contribute its expertise in the collection, sorting, and processing of plastics in several European countries. It will supply PP waste from its household collection systems to feed PureCycle’s first European plant in Antwerp, Belgium.
The Antwerp plant is expected to have an annual capacity of 59,000t once operational.
PureCycle European and Asia Pacific Operations vice-president Wiebe Schipper said: “Our collaboration with Landbell Group represents a significant step to advance plastic circularity in Europe.
“We’re proud to collaborate with another sustainably minded company that is committed to reducing plastic waste and creating a circular economy for plastics.
“PureCycle is looking forward to collaborating with the Landbell Group as we work to make dissolution recycling more widely available throughout the region.”
Through its partnership with PureCycle, Landbell Group will redirect thermoplastic polymers used in the packaging industry to recycling.
Landbell Group COO Uwe Echteler said: “By combining the innovative and robust approaches of PureCycle Technologies and Landbell Group in Europe, we will drive higher recycling rates and high-quality recycled PP, empowering producers to close the loop and to fulfil their new obligations from the PPWR [Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation].”
In September last year, PureCycle announced the raising of $90m in gross proceeds via a collaboration with Sylebra and Samlyn Capital.
