Since 2004 Returpack and Veolia have been collaborating to recycle PET material in the Swedish circular deposit system. Now, the companies are signing a new long-term agreement to increase the supply of recycled PET in Sweden. This agreement expands the capacity of recycled material to almost double.
Together, the companies are working to recycle as much PET material as possible in Sweden. Returpack collects and sorts, and Veolia then recycles the bottles into new raw material. The two companies started working together in 2004 and are now signing a contract for continued collaboration.
– We are delighted to have signed the new contract extending our relationship with Returpack. This not only gives security to our employees at our processing plant in Norrköping but also enables us to react to market developments by investing in extended capacity to produce more food-grade output materials, says Rob Pattison CCO of Veolia Germany.
Together, the companies will almost double the capacity of recycled material in 2024.
– The deposit system provides conditions for high-quality circular recycling. Together with Veolia, we ensure that used PET bottles can be recycled into new bottles, reducing the need for new raw materials, says Tomas Kjellker, CEO of Returpack.
In 2023, 2.7 billion packages were deposited, and Sweden’s collection rate reached 88.5 per cent. Returpack collects and sorts the PET bottles which are sold in bales to Veolia.
– In 2025, Returpack and Veolia will be able to deliver 20.000 tons of recycled material to Swedish beverage producers who use it to produce new bottles, says Sara Bergendorff, Sustainability and Quality Manager at Returpack.
The capacity increase is made possible by investing in increased production capacity and changing technology. Currently, recycled bottles become small flakes used to create new bottles. With this technology, the deposited bottles are melted down into granules, whose consistency is more like groats. Mixing flakes with granules ultimately produces a good material that the market demands.
– We are working together to expand the capacity to increase the availability of recycled PET in Sweden so that we, together with our producers, can continue our work on increasing circularity, reducing the use of fossil raw materials, says Sara Bergendorff, Sustainability and Quality Manager at Returpack.
