Recycled Products

As the world's largest producer of PET, IVL established a recycling business to deal with the challenge of resource management and the need for sustainable packaging.

After studying the impact of the lifecycle and environmental feasibility of recycling PET plastic, we entered the recycling business in 2011 with the acquisition of Wellman International in Europe, later extending recycling production to Thailand, the US and Mexico.

We have reduced the use of resources in our production and observed an increasing need for recycled products. Currently, our recycling capacity is the largest in Europe but we have expanded our operations to other regions. Our recycling plants are now located in the Netherlands, France, Ireland, the US, Mexico and Thailand.

PET Recycling process

Plastic bottles are first compressed in bales and brought to the factory. The bottles are then inserted into a machine and sorted. Labels and enclosures are separated from the bottles and thermal processing is used for sterilization. The bottles are cleaned before going to the next step. Any impurities such as iron, sand, or other types of plastics are cleaned out. Afterwards, the bottles are crushed into small flakes, which can be reused.

The bottle flakes are examined before they are melted. The flakes are then melted to become recycled resins that can be processed to make polyester fibers. These can then be converted into diverse and sustainable applications.