Alpla expands presence in Brazililan market

Austrian packaging and recycling company the Alpla Group has acquired a majority joint venture (JV) stake in the Brazilian high-density polyethylene (HDPE) recycling company Clean Bottle.

The Clean Bottle plant is in São José dos Pinhais in the state of Paraná and has an annual output capacity of 15,000 metric tons of recycled-content HDPE (rHDPE).

Earlier this month, Alpla announced it would increase its ownership stake in a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle recycling operation in Egypt, saying the moves will help it reach its global recycling goals.

“Demand for sustainable packaging solutions made from recycled plastic is growing on all continents,” says Dietmar Marin, managing director of the group’s recycling business unit. “Our customers want to reduce their CO₂ consumption, and we support them in doing so. By investing in Clean Bottle, we are securing the long-term supply of our plants in Brazil with our own high-quality postconsumer recycled (PCR) material.”

Alpla says it already uses around 32 percent PCR material in the production of HDPE packaging in Brazil.

“Brazil is the beginning of our recycling activities in South America and, therefore, the choice of partner is of key importance,” says Christoph Schneider, regional managing director at Alpla. “Clean Bottle is an established manufacturer and, as a long-standing supplier, shares our quality standards."

Alpla says Clean Bottle’s founders, Leandro Tanaka, Adriano Tanaka and Jadir Voltoline Junior, will contribute to the management of the JV. That cooperation includes an ongoing connection to the founders’ recyclables collection center operator the Clean Plastic Group in Brazil.

“For over 35 years, we have seen ourselves as a link in the circular economy, adding value to used plastics,” Clean Bottle Managing Director Leandro Tanaka says. “With this vision, we have established ourselves as a strong partner for the packaging industry and society. Together with Alpla Recycling, we are now taking the next step and want to grow together.”