Austrian effort targets plastic packaging recycling

Seven companies have co-founded an Austria-based platform called Packaging with a Future they say has been designed to take “an active role in the development of a global circular economy for plastic packaging.” The companies collaborating, which are either based in Austria or represent the Austrian operations of a multinational firm, are ALPLA, Greiner, Coca-Cola Österreich, Nestlé Österreich, Interseroh, Erema Engineering Recycling Maschinen und Anlagen GmbH and Engel Group.

“The circular economy is an interdisciplinary challenge,” states Stefan Engleder, CEO of the plastic molding equipment maker Engel Group. “Only together can we successfully master this challenge and quickly take the first comprehensive steps.”

The focus Packaging with a Future is plastic packaging, which has needs to make up lost ground when it comes to its handling, disposal and recycling, and is, therefore, losing consumer acceptance, the collaborating partners say.

Engleder says, however, that compared with packaging made with other materials, plastics often have a significantly smaller CO₂ footprint. “We will not be able to master many of the challenges of the future without plastics,” says the CEO. “It’s not the material that is the problem, but how it is handled. This is why we are increasingly leveraging our know-how and experience to ensure that plastic packaging can be produced, used, disposed of and recycled in a sustainable manner worldwide.”

“With their technological innovations and many joint projects, the seven founding members of the platform are also establishing new standards for sustainable packaging at a supraregional level,” states Packaging with a Future. “In an open dialogue with politicians, organizations and the public, they are making a decisive contribution toward a differentiated perception of plastic packaging.”

Engel says as an injection molding machine manufacturer it can provide technology to “consistently produce high-quality plastic products despite fluctuating raw material quality” that can be problematic with plastic scrap feedstock. “This paves the way for a far more widespread use of recycled materials. “

Additionally, Engel says it is collaborating with processors in the product and process development phases of many projects “in order to continually reduce the amount of material used and facilitate the subsequent recycling of the products.”

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An elevated cab is one of several features improving operational efficiency at the Macon County Solid Waste Management agency in North Carolina. When it comes to waste management, efficiency, safety and reliability are priorities driving decisions from day one, according to staff members of the Macon County Solid Waste Management Department in western North Carolina. The agency operates a recycling plant in a facility originally designed to bale incoming materials. More recently, the building has undergone significant transformations centered around one machine: a SENNEBOGEN telehandler (telescopic handler).

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SENNEBOGEN 340G telehandler improves the view in Macon County, NC

An elevated cab is one of several features improving operational efficiency at the Macon County Solid Waste Management agency in North Carolina. When it comes to waste management, efficiency, safety and reliability are priorities driving decisions from day one, according to staff members of the Macon County Solid Waste Management Department in western North Carolina. The agency operates a recycling plant in a facility originally designed to bale incoming materials. More recently, the building has undergone significant transformations centered around one machine: a SENNEBOGEN telehandler (telescopic handler).

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SENNEBOGEN 340G telehandler improves the view in Macon County, NC

An elevated cab is one of several features improving operational efficiency at the Macon County Solid Waste Management agency in North Carolina. When it comes to waste management, efficiency, safety and reliability are priorities driving decisions from day one, according to staff members of the Macon County Solid Waste Management Department in western North Carolina. The agency operates a recycling plant in a facility originally designed to bale incoming materials. More recently, the building has undergone significant transformations centered around one machine: a SENNEBOGEN telehandler (telescopic handler).

Sponsored Content

SENNEBOGEN 340G telehandler improves the view in Macon County, NC

An elevated cab is one of several features improving operational efficiency at the Macon County Solid Waste Management agency in North Carolina. When it comes to waste management, efficiency, safety and reliability are priorities driving decisions from day one, according to staff members of the Macon County Solid Waste Management Department in western North Carolina. The agency operates a recycling plant in a facility originally designed to bale incoming materials. More recently, the building has undergone significant transformations centered around one machine: a SENNEBOGEN telehandler (telescopic handler).

Sponsored Content

SENNEBOGEN 340G telehandler improves the view in Macon County, NC

An elevated cab is one of several features improving operational efficiency at the Macon County Solid Waste Management agency in North Carolina. When it comes to waste management, efficiency, safety and reliability are priorities driving decisions from day one, according to staff members of the Macon County Solid Waste Management Department in western North Carolina. The agency operates a recycling plant in a facility originally designed to bale incoming materials. More recently, the building has undergone significant transformations centered around one machine: a SENNEBOGEN telehandler (telescopic handler).

Sponsored Content

SENNEBOGEN 340G telehandler improves the view in Macon County, NC

An elevated cab is one of several features improving operational efficiency at the Macon County Solid Waste Management agency in North Carolina. When it comes to waste management, efficiency, safety and reliability are priorities driving decisions from day one, according to staff members of the Macon County Solid Waste Management Department in western North Carolina. The agency operates a recycling plant in a facility originally designed to bale incoming materials. More recently, the building has undergone significant transformations centered around one machine: a SENNEBOGEN telehandler (telescopic handler).