Extrusion International 1-2026

40 Extrusion International 1/2026 RECYCLING Four-Year Innovation Project kicks off in the Netherlands A LPLA is working on a future- proof solution for food-safe HDPE recycled material. The inter- national packaging and recycling specialist is now evaluating the pat- ented solvent-based process at a pilot plant in Heerenveen in collab- oration with the independent tech- nological institute NTCP. The inno- vation project, which is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth, will run for four years. Just in time for the start of the PPWR 2030, the innovative solution will be scaled up to industrial pro- duction. From 2030, packaging in the EU must contain a minimum propor- tion of recycled material. ALPLA and NTCP are working on a future-proof and affordable solution for plas- tic food packaging. The patented recycling technology is expected to deliver food-safe HDPE recycled material (rHDPE) on an industrial scale for the first time. Following several years of R&D with successful laboratory results, the two project partners have just started evaluat- ing the solvent-based process at the NTCP site in Heerenveen. Intensive testing of all process steps of the patented technology will be performed as part of a collab- orative innovation project. The aim is to obtain approval from the Euro- pean Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in the near future. The construction and operation of the pilot plant will provide valuable insights for scaling up the process. ALPLA has set up its own recycling company in the Neth- erlands for this purpose. Milestone for the circular economy "To date, there is no certified process in the EU for the produc- tion of food-grade HDPE recycled material. Our highly efficient tech - nology for cleaning and process- ing post-consumer recycled mate- rial could be a real game changer," explains Michael Heyde, Head of Technology Recycling Division at ALPLA. The company already pro- duces PET and HDPE recycled mate- rial in its own recycling division at 14 locations worldwide, with 400 000 tonnes installed and projected recycling output capacity. ALPLA processes most of this material it- self into packaging. The future in- dustrialisation of this innovative technology should enable read- ily available food packaging made from rHDPE for the FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) market. "This cooperation with ALPLA fits perfectly to the core activities and mission of NTCP as an independent knowledge institute, to facilitate and accelerate technology devel- opments with frontrunner parties. We believe that new technologies are needed to completely close the plastics value chain while reducing the amount of waste," emphasises Martine Brandsma, NTCP’s CEO. The pilot project is being carried out with the support of the Dutch Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth. ALPLA Group www.alpla.com NTCP (National Test Center Circular Plastics) www.ntcp.nl Recycling specialist ALPLA is launching a pilot project for the production of food-grade HDPE recycled material together with research institute NTCP (Photo: ALPLA) The ALPLA and NTCP project team is implementing a pilot plant for solvent- based HDPE recycling in Heerenveen (Photo: ALPLA/NTCP)