Extrusion International 3-2026

41 Extrusion International 3/2026 European Expertise for High-Quality Plastics Recycling T he use of recycled plastics in high-quality end prod- ucts is gaining importance worldwide – driven by sustainability targets set by international brand owners and regulatory requirements. At Chinaplas (21 to 24 April 2026, Shanghai), EREMA showed how proven recycling technology can deliver consistently high-quality regranu- lates for a wide range of applications. EREMA focused on recycling solutions for high-quality end applications. PET recycling: ‚exibility for different target markets Solutions for PET continue to account for the major- ity of recycling systems in China. EREMA has already in- stalled more than 50 VACUREMA® and VACUNITE® systems in the region. The trend is moving towards food- grade applications. "Our technologies offer customers maximum exibility," explains Christoph Wöss, Global Sales Director at EREMA. "The regranulates are used in applications such as sheets, bers, or packaging. As soon as the market opens up for bottle-to-bottle recycling, our customers can immediately enter this segment as well." One area with great potential is tray-to-tray recycling (take-away packaging). The required technology has already been proven on an industrial scale. Danish com- pany Faerch, a leading food packaging manufacturer, is considered a pioneer in this eld with its recycling divi - sion Cirrec: trays made from rPET thermoforming lm contain up to 100 per cent recycled post-consumer PET and meet stringent requirements in terms of food safe- ty, durability and transparency. The VACUREMA® and VACUNITE® machine series have been approved by globally recognized food safety authorities for the production of food-grade rPET. In De- cember 2025, EREMA also received four additional posi- tive opinions from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in accordance with EU Regulation 2022/1616. This con rms that the technology meets current require - ments for decontamination and process validation. Fur- thermore, the distinction between bottle and sheet ap- plications reduces complexity for recycling companies. "The majority of rPET in China is currently used in tex- tile production," adds James Qiu, General Manager at EREMA Shanghai. "With a future opening of bottle-to- bottle recycling, it will be crucial to establish solutions that keep PET within its respective loops." With the PET bre-to- bre technology FibrePro:IV, as well as the investment announced in October in Australian clean- technology pioneer BlockTexx®, EREMA is consistently expanding its expertise in textile recycling. Post-consumer recycling gaining momentum "We are seeing growing interest in post-consumer so- lutions in China," says James Qiu. "EREMA supports cus- tomers with extensive expertise." For example, together with Irish company Polymer Matters and joint venture partner Lindner Washtech, a recycling process has been realised in which HDPE milk bottles from post-consumer collections are recycled and used again to produce new milk bottles. The combination of washing and extrusion technology forms the basis for the high quality of the re- cyclate. The process was recently classi ed by the Euro - pean Commission as an advanced novel technology for direct food contact. Increasing requirements can also be observed in the recycling of lm waste. Household, supermarket, and agricultural lms pose particular challenges due to con - tamination and moisture. With the INTAREMA® TVE- plus® DuaFil® Compact, EREMA offers a solution de- signed for such demanding material streams. While post-consumer regranulates are already being used in high-quality products in Europe, there are still only a fewapplications in China. One pioneering example is INTCO. The company operates around 30 INTAREMA® TVEplus® systems equipped with EREMA laser lters for EPS recycling. James Qiu explains: "The regranulates achieve a high level of quality and are used in premium products such as picture and photo frames. Thanks to its integrated value chain, INTCOholds a strong internation- al market position." Close to the customer EREMA has been present in Asia for decades and has operated its own subsidiary in China since 2005. The lo- cally based technicians have received comprehensive training at the company’s headquarters in Austria and provide on-site support to customers. Additional sub- sidiaries in Asia are located in India and Thailand. EREMA Group GmbH www.erema-group.com EREMA experts at Chinaplas: Once again in 2026, the team in Shanghai will be available for in-depth discussions on high- quality plastic recycling (Photo Credits: EREMA GmbH)