Despite the currently low price of oil recycled PET (rPET) remains of high interest for those interested in lowering their carbon footprint. [1] ALPLA, a leading international producer of plastic packaging solutions, which has been working on PET recycling for over 20 years, has commissioned experts from Austrian consulting firm denkstatt GmbH to calculate the carbon footprint for rPET.

According to ALPLA, the result of the study exceeds previous assumptions. The rPET produced by PET Recycling Team GmbH in Wöllersdorf (a wholly owned subsidiary of ALPLA based in Wöllersdorf, Austria) has a carbon footprint of 0.45 kg CO2 equivalent per kilogram of rPET. Virgin PET, or new material, accounts for a CO2 equivalent of 2.15 kg per kilogram. This corresponds to a CO2 equivalent of 1.7 kg or 79 per cent lower greenhouse gas emissions for rPET. “The savings for a single kilogram of rPET are enough to power a 13-watt bulb continuously for twenty days in the Austrian power mix,” explains Plant manager Peter Fröschel.

On behalf of ALPLA and PET Recycling Team, denkstatt GmbH calculated the carbon footprint of recycled PET. The study confirms that the carbon footprint of rPET is excellent. The production of rPET involves 79 per cent lower emissions compared to new materials. (Photo: © ALPLA)

The carbon footprint was calculated in accordance with ISO 14044, starting with the collection and sorting of used PET bottles, covering transportation to the recycling plant in Wöllersdorf, through to washing, processing and granulating. The analysis is based on the mass and energy balance (electricity and gas consumption) for 2016 at the Wöllersdorf recycling plant.

The results of the study provide clear confirmation of the value of PET recycling. (Photo: © ALPLA)

ALPLA operates recycling enterprises at three sites – a joint venture in Mexico, the wholly owned subsidiary PET Recycling Team in Wöllersdorf and a new recycling plant built in southern Poland in 2013. The annual capacity of these plants is around 65,000 tonnes of food-grade rPET.