Austria-based plastic recycling equipment producer Erema Engineering Recycling Maschinen u Anlagen GmbH is building a 16,700-square-foot research and development (R&D) center at its main campus in Ansfelden, Austria. Completion of the project is scheduled for next February.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on the site April 6 for two buildings with nearly 16,700 square feet of space that will include office space for some 50 people. “The R&D center will offer cross-departmental and cross-company test machines and laboratory for research and development of plastics recycling technologies to further advance the circular economy,” the firm states.

“Plastics recycling is currently evolving very rapidly from a niche to a trend,” Erema says, adding, “this is driven by the legislative targets for plastics recycling that the European Union and many countries around the world have enacted, as well as by the European Green Deal, which aims to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent and in which the circular economy plays a very central role.”

The company says there is not just one recycling solution for different types of plastic scrap but rather different ones depending on the type of plastic, the product and the application intended for the recycled plastic.

“It makes a difference whether clean production waste is recycled and returned to the production process or whether printed and contaminated packaging materials collected in yellow bags are recycled and used to make food packaging again,” says Markus Huber-Lindinger, managing director of Erema.

“While some plastics processing loops, such as for PET [polyethylene terephthalate] bottles, have already been closed, many other plastic waste streams still require a great deal of R&D in cooperation with everyone involved in the value chain to produce recycled pellets that meet the very highest standards for the production of new products,” says Huber-Lindinger. “More space will be available for this in the new center.”

Markus Achleitner, minister for economic affairs in the Upper Austria region that includes Ansfelden, says, “With its innovative companies and research centers, Upper Austria has a focus on plastics competence. Erema is one of the technology leaders in the plastics industry whose products are successful on the world market. The basis for this success is created with intensive research and development work. I, therefore, congratulate the company on taking this step to build a new R&D center. This will strengthen Upper Austria as a business and research location and create attractive jobs.”

The Norway-based Tomra Group and its Germany-based Tomra Recycling business unit celebrated the company’s 50th anniversary early this April.

Each of the group’s four divisions - Collection, Food, Recycling and Mining – marked the milestone by declaring a collective mission for the future to “transform how we all obtain, use and reuse the planet’s resources to enable a world without waste,” says the company.

Tove Andersen, Tomra’s president and CEO, remarks, “We live in a world that needs big transformation. We urgently need to improve sustainability, develop the circular economy and make more efficient use of resources--challenges which Tomra’s solutions can help address.”

She continues “Fifty years after its humble beginnings, Tomra can be proud of the fact that it is a highly respected global market leader. This is living proof of our ability to adapt, innovate, and provide the solutions our customers really need. This is also a time to look forward because we are now opening the chapter in Tomra’s story where we step up our role leading the resource revolution.”

Tomra was founded in Norway on April 1, 1972, by brothers Petter and Tore Planke. After seeing a local grocer struggle with the manual collection of empty bottles in its store, the brothers developed what Tomra calls the first fully automated reverse vending machine (RVM) in their family garage.

Over the years, Tomra’s technology has expanded to include sorting systems for the recycling, mining and food processing industries. Tomra currently employs more than 4,600 people globally and has annual sales of 1 billion euros ($1.09 billion).

Tom Eng, senior vice president and head of Tomra Recycling, comments, “We continue to innovate and support our customers in achieving their business goals as well as those set by legislation. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we would like to recognize our customers and partners that made our long-standing success possible.”

Tomra Recycling describes itself as a global supplier of sensor-based sorting technology and connected digital services designed to transform discarded items into valuable secondary raw materials. The company has installed more than 8,200 sorting units in more than 100 countries.

Switzerland-based packaging producer Amcor has announced two new applications for its AmPrima “recycle ready” packaging line for Europe. The polyethylene (PE) product line is being expanded for coffee and dairy products, Amcor says.

“The AmPrima range has already been proven to work for our United States customers, and we’re happy to now offer it in Europe,” says Noemi Bertolino, a vice president with Amcor. “For the latest applications in coffee and cheese, Amcor has run over 50 trials, and we are delighted to bring our customers a simple switch to more sustainable packaging. Fitting a wide range of packaging needs, the versatility of AmPrima demonstrates our commitment to ongoing innovation and finding more sustainable solutions where they previously did not exist.”

The company sees the new products as being in line with an upcoming EU packaging directive and with Amcor’s 2025 pledge to develop all its packaging to be recyclable or reusable and to increase the use of recycled content. AmPrima, the company says, is recycle-ready in most flexible PE packaging recycling streams.

The AmPrima range is designed according to Circular Economy for Flexible Packaging (CEFLEX) guidelines and is certified by the Germany-based Institut cyclos-HTP for recyclability.

New in April 2022 is AmPrima PE PLUS for roast and ground coffee. “Suited for all typical coffee pack formats and sizes, [the] full PE packaging is treated for thermal stability, allows easy transition on existing filling machines, and has an innovative barrier coating for product protection,” Amcor says.

According to Amcor’s analysis, AmPrima PE PLUS has the potential to replace more than 200 current nonrecyclable coffee packaging specifications.

Also launching in April is AmPrima PE PLUS for cheese, available in a variety of formats including flow wrap for hard cheeses, pouches for grated, and pouches for leak-prone cheeses such as mozzarella. “The launch of AmPrima PE PLUS for cheese will allow brands to choose a full PE solution with robust product protection that fits the requirements of most European PE recycling streams,” Amcor says.