Mondelēz International has teamed up with packaging firm Amcor to invest in Australian recycling technology provider, Licella.
The partnership with Amcor will help Mondelēz International gain access to recycled content from the site to meet much of its Australian soft plastic packaging requirements and reduce the need for virgin plastic in Australia.
Christine Montenegro McGrath, senior vice president and chief global impact and sustainability officer at Mondelēz International said, "This investment brings together multiple stakeholders in the supply chain to scale the infrastructure and technology needed to help create a more sustainable future for plastics and is part of our longer-term focus on working toward our goal of net-zero packaging waste by supporting circular economies."
Mike Cash, president of Amcor Flexibles Asia Pacific added, "Amcor will be able to meet increasing customer demand for recycled content in the region with this investment, as well as take another step closer to achieving our target of 30% recycled content across Amcor’s portfolio by 2030."
Advanced Recycling
The investment will see Licella continue the construction of its advanced recycling facilities in Australia.
The facility will use its Catalytic Hydrothermal Reactor (Cat-HTR) technology to recycle end-of-life plastic into a crude oil substitute suitable for producing new food-grade plastic packaging.
CEO of Licella, Dr Len Humphreys, believes that leadership from industry is needed to help bring Australia closer to more sustainable plastic waste solutions that deliver economic and environmental benefits.
“This is the leading technology of its kind globally, and it was developed here in Australia. This investment will help advance our Australian facility at a time when demand for sustainable plastic solutions, that also help provide food-grade recycled content, is growing exponentially,” Humphreys added.
The Technology
The Cat-HTR technology uses hot, pressurised water to continuously recycle end-of-life plastic that would otherwise end up in landfill.
The new facility, called Advanced Recycling Victoria (ARV), is expected to initially process about 20,000 tonnes of end-of-life plastic annually.
In due course, Licella plans to scale it up to 120,000 tonnes per year.
