Hillenbrand to organize circular plastics competition

Indiana-based manufacturer will work with California-based Net Impact on the 2022 Plastics & Circularity Case Competition.

May 9, 2022

Posted by Brian Taylor

Conferences & Events Plastics

Hillenbrand Inc., headquartered in Batesville, Indiana, and California-based nongovernmental organization Net Impact have announced a partnership to create the 2022 Plastics & Circularity Case Competition. The two entities say the competition is “aimed at continuing to innovate and promote sustainability within the plastics value chain.”

The Plastics & Circularity Case Competition has been designed to bring together “next generation innovators to rethink the challenges the plastics value chain faces from creation to collection,” Hillenbrand says in a news release.

Hillenbrand says it brought the concept to Net Impact “to engage the future generation in how we can further shape the responsible life cycle management of plastics.”

Hillenbrand, which has several business units that make plastic molding and compounding equipment, says it will guide the topic and goals of the competition, while Net Impact will “facilitate the competition by bringing together its global network of social impact and sustainability leaders to address the challenge.” The Plastics & Circularity Case Competition will take place in the fall of 2022, say the two partners.

“Our partnership with Net Impact continues our commitment to sustainability and pulls forward the next generation into helping us collaborate and solve challenges in new ways,” says Kim Ryan, president and CEO of Hillenbrand. “Plastics support many sustainable trends, from the light-weighting of vehicles, to extending the life of food, to electronic capabilities and medical advancements. How we address the circularity of plastics is critical for many of our customers and we are excited to partner with Net Impact and the next generation on this important initiative.”

Net Impact CEO Peter Lupoff says, “Business can no longer focus solely on profits. Business plans must prioritize environmental and social factors as well. The Plastics & Circularity Case Competition activates next generation leaders, in partnership with business, to solve one of our world’s most critical issues. Having a company with a reputation as an innovator like Hillenbrand to serve as a partner and mentor for this year’s participants should assure another exciting and effective program.”

Net Impact describes itself as focused on inspiring, equipping and activating “emerging leaders to build a more just and sustainable world.” The group says it has more than 130,000 members in 300-plus chapters worldwide.

The merger of the two U.K. ITAD companies will give Tier 1 70,000 square feet of operational space.

Photo courtesy of Tier 1 Group and Flex Media.

Tier 1 acquires EOL ITAD firm

Merger of U.K. electronics recycling firms creates company with $30 million in annual revenue.

May 8, 2022

Brian Taylor

Financial Electronics International Recycling News

Tier 1 Group, an electronics recycling firm based in Manchester, United Kingdom, says it has made “an eight-figure investment” in Maldon, U.K.-based IT asset disposal (ITAD) company EOL IT Services Ltd.

The expansion will almost double Tier 1’s operational capacity and create what the firm calls one of the largest “full circle” IT hardware businesses in the U.K.

Manchester-based Tier 1 says it specializes in secure ITAD and refurbishment services, supporting a range of clients and helping to tackle the growing stream of electronic scrap. Founded and led by CEO Jonathan Rose, Tier 1 has enjoyed rapid growth in recent years and won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, the firm says.

Tier 1 calls EOL “a highly accredited ITAD service and technology recycler, with long-standing relationships with several government departments and blue-chip clients.”

Postmerger, Tier 1 Group calls itself one of the largest ITAD businesses in the U.K., with annual revenue in excess of $30 million.

The merger gives Tier 1 an additional base in the southeast part of England via EOL’s 30,000 sq. ft. facility in Maldon, Essex, to complement Tier 1’s existing 40,000 sq. ft. facility in Manchester. The merger also enhances Tier 1’s shredding and logistics capability, the firm says.

“We are delighted to welcome Dan Smith and the EOL team into the Tier 1 Group,” says Jonathan Rose, founder and CEO of Tier 1. “EOL has grown to be one of the most respected ITAD [firms] in the U.K., and bringing the two businesses together will further enhance both our senior management team and our service offering, creating an incredible proposition for our corporate clients.”

Rose adds, “With a combined 70,000 square feet of operational facility and 115 employees, we now have the platform to build the business into the U.K.’s leading IT circular economy organization, with positive environmental impact at the heart of our offering.”

EOL Managing Director Dan Smith will join the board of the combined Tier 1 Group, bringing with him more than 20 years of experience in the ITAD industry, both domestically and internationally.

“Tier 1 shares our passion and commitment for providing businesses with secure, sustainable and environmentally sound solutions for the recycling of IT equipment. Having operational bases in the south and the north will provide strategic logistical advantages and reduce our carbon emissions,” Smith says.

He continues, “Demand for sustainable computing equipment is increasing all the time, and this move will provide our clients and businesses with more access to carbon-saving sustainable computers and laptops, as well as all other manner of IT equipment.”

The Tier 1 Group says it also is actively exploring further acquisition opportunities that will drive growth and cement its position as a U.K. market leader.

Freepoint Eco-Systems, Van Dyk partner on sorting system for Ohio plant

Van Dyk will supply the front-end sorting system for the company’s advanced recycling facility.

May 6, 2022

DeAnne Toto

Equipment & Products Plastics

Freepoint Eco-Systems LLC, Stamford, Connecticut, is partnering with Van Dyk Recycling Solutions, Norwalk, Connecticut, to build a front-end sorting system for the advanced recycling facility the company is building in Hebron, Ohio, roughly 30 miles from the state capital of Columbus in Licking County.

The facility will recycle 90,000 tons per year of end-of-life plastic. The project will employ approximately 200 people during the construction phase and 50 people when fully operational. Commercial operations are expected to begin in 2023.

Brian Schellati, director of business development for Van Dyk, says, “Joining our experience in system design with Freepoint Eco-Systems’ dedication to finding renewable avenues for plastics led to a project that we believe is going to be very successful. The facility will accept postsorted plastics from material recovery facilities. Those materials will pass through an advanced sortation system and then ultimately become pelletized.”

“Freepoint Eco-Systems is excited to be working with Van Dyk, a leader in North America for the installation of recycling and sorting systems, in connection with this project,” says Bilal Khan, director of engineering and operations for Freepoint Eco-Systems, an affiliate of Freepoint Commodities LLC, a global commodities merchant providing supply chain management services and eco-friendly products and solutions to its customers. “We understand the importance of developing a system that is based on innovative, cutting-edge technology and state-of-the-art equipment. We believe that partnering with Van Dyk is the right decision as we develop one of the largest commercial-scale advanced recycling facilities in the United States.”

“The Ohio facility will have a significant positive impact on the environment by reducing the consumption of crude oil-derived feedstocks for prime resins, which will result in carbon left in the ground, a more circular and sustainable economy and a healthier planet Earth,” Jeff McMahon, managing director of Freepoint, said at the time the Ohio facility was announced in December of last year.

Freepoint says it is committed to being part of the solution to the growing environmental problem of plastic waste disposal by building, owning and operating advanced recycling facilities around the globe. In October 2021, Freepoint said it would construct its first advanced recycling facility in Texas as part of a strategic partnership with Plastic Energy Ltd. and TotalEnergies. That facility is targeted to begin commercial operations in 2024.

Photo courtesy of Ocean Conservancy

California opens investigation into plastics recycling industry

Groups like Ocean Conservancy and Oceana say the investigation is a sign to the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries that they will be held accountable for any wrongdoing.

May 6, 2022

Alex Kamczyc

Plastics Legislation & Regulations

California Attorney General Rob Bonta recently announced an investigation into the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries for their roles in causing and exacerbating the global plastics pollution crisis. It also will look for what laws, if any, have been broken in the process.

“In California and across the globe, we are seeing the catastrophic results of the fossil fuel industry’s decadeslong campaign of deception. Plastic pollution is seeping into our waterways, poisoning our environment and blighting our landscapes,” Bonta says in a statement. “Enough is enough. For more than half a century, the plastics industry has engaged in an aggressive campaign to deceive the public, perpetuating a myth that recycling can solve the plastics crisis.”

Bonta says the global plastics pollution crisis has been driven by the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries. In the 1950s, the world produced about 1.5 million tons of plastic annually. He says that number has skyrocketed to more than 300 million tons, with plans to continue to increase supply in the coming decades.

Bonta says the fossil fuel and petrochemical companies have doubled down on plastics production, recently investing an additional $208 billion to expand plastic production worldwide. Plastic production is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, and the planned expansion of fossil-fuel-based production runs counter to efforts to address the climate crisis through a transition to clean energy, according to the Californian Attorney General's office.

Bonta claims that companies spent millions promoting the benefits of plastics and how they can be recycled. However, industry officials knew recycling plastic was not feasible as far back as the 1970s, according to a report from NPR.

The announcement has drawn praise from conservation groups like Oceana and Ocean Conservancy, both based in Washington. The two organizations say they believe the investigation could affect the amount of ocean-bound plastics.

"We've been duped for over 50 years by the plastics industry's multimillion-dollar PR campaigns, which wrongfully blamed individuals instead of companies for the plastic pollution crisis and falsely touted recycling as a panacea when industry executives knew better,” says Christy Leavitt, plastics campaign director for Oceana. “The deception behind the plastics industry's recycling promise is evident on California's shores and streets, where plastic takeout containers, utensils and more taint the beauty of the state and threaten its coastal economy and its people.”

A recent Oceana survey found that 91 percent of California voters are concerned about plastic's impact on the environment and our oceans.

According to Ocean Conservancy, 99 percent of plastics are made with fossil fuels and about 11 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean each year. That number is projected to triple by 2040. The organization says nearly 70 percent of the most-collected items over the last 35 years of the International Coastal Cleanup are effectively unrecyclable. Of these, half are food and beverage-related items such as food wrappers, straws and stirrers and takeout containers.

“At every level of government in California, we are seeing ambitious action against the threat of single-use plastics,” says Anja Brandon, U.S. plastics policy analyst at Ocean Conservancy. “The Attorney General’s announcement is an unmistakable signal to the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries that there will be no turning back on this issue, they will be held accountable."

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) is pushing back on the claims Bonta has made.

“We strongly disagree with the portrayal of our industry by Attorney General Bonta,” says Joshua Baca, vice president of plastics. “As we’ve repeatedly emphasized, plastics belong in our economy, not our environment. America’s plastic makers are committed to a more sustainable future and have proposed comprehensive and bold actions at the state, federal and international levels in our 5 Actions for Sustainable Change and 5 Principles to End Plastic Waste Globally.”

The ACC's proposal includes requiring all plastic packaging in the U.S. to include at least 30 percent recycled plastic by 2030, establishing a producer responsibility system for packaging that will help increase recycling infrastructure and supporting a legally binding global agreement to stop leakage and build waste management infrastructure globally.

This November, Californians will vote on the Stop Plastic Pollution initiative, a policy that would reduce single-use plastic packaging. In addition, the California legislature is currently considering Assembly Bill 2026 to address the increasing threat of single-use plastic packaging in online sales.

Coca-Cola and O-I Glass say glass, an easily recyclable material, needs to be reused as much as possible to secure a sustainable future.

KYNA STUDIO | adobe.stock.com

Coca-Cola aims to use 50 percent recycled glass by 2030

O-I Glass and Coca-Cola are expanding an existing relationship to recycle more than 700,000 glass bottles annually.

May 6, 2022

Posted by Bob Gaetjens

Glass

The Coca-Cola Bottling Co. United has announced its goal of using 50 percent recycled material in its glass bottles by 2030, leveraging a partnership with O-I Glass, headquartered in Perrsyburg, Ohio.

“We previously sent our glass bottles to a local recycler that used the material in fiberglass,” says Corey Tucker, warehouse and logistics manager for Coca-Cola United’s Marietta, Georgia, production center. But now the company will send its recycled glass to O-I’s plant in Danville, Virginia, where it will be remade into glass bottles.

Through the partnership, Coca-Cola United, Birmingham, Alabama, expects to recycle more than 700,000 out-of-date and damaged bottles annually.

Glass is 100 percent and infinitely recyclable, making it an ideal packaging material to support a low-waste, circular economy. Recycled glass is the main ingredient in manufacturing new glass bottles and jars, and the more that’s used in each batch, the more energy is saved and emissions are decreased. O-I is committed to Coca-Cola United’s 10 sustainability goals, which include increasing recycled content to 50% on average by 2030.

O-I’s recycling business relies heavily on finding sources of glass that require recycling, O-I Recycling Systems Development Leader Sammy Holaschutz says.

“We need others in the glass value chain—our customers, other industries and certainly consumers—to help increase glass recycling rates,” Holaschutz says. “The action taken by Coca-Cola United to promote recycling and circularity sets a strong example.”

Coca-Cola United had an existing relationship with O-I, which led to the new partnership, says Coca-Cola United Sustainability Director Tammy Stubbs.

“We started to look at all of our recyclables and where they end up,” she says. “We contacted O-I because they supply our glass bottles, and we learned that they have a team dedicated to increasing glass recycling. The team at O-I is laser-focused on implementing solutions to allow more glass to be recycled and used in glass packaging.”

Collaborations such as this are vital steps in boosting the amount of recycled glass in the manufacturing stream and creating a more sustainable future, the companies say.