Aduro launches chemical recycling trials for Mexico’s flexible plastics

Canadian startup Aduro Clean Technologies is partnering with Mexican producer responsibility organisation Ecoce to advance flexible packaging recycling. The collaboration aims to explore new feedstocks for Aduro’s water-based hydrochemolytic technology (HCT).

Under the agreement, Ecoce will supply post-consumer flexible packaging collected through its systems to test facilities in Mexico. Here, Aduro will conduct trials on recycling multi-material packaging. The partners will assess processability, yields, product quality and potential applications.

The results will inform potential business models for local recycling facilities, which could be owned and operated by Aduro, Ecoce members or licensees.

Expanding the HCT footprint

Aduro’s HCT process chemically recycles flexible and mixed-plastic packaging that is hard to handle mechanically. It uses water as a key agent in a low-temperature, cost-efficient chemistry platform. This enables Aduro to converts low-value feedstocks into higher-value fuels, chemicals and resources for modern industrial applications.

Aduro’s pilot plant in Ontario is almost ready and the company is finalising a demo plant site in the Netherlands. Start-up is expected in early 2027 following a site decision by January. The Mexican project is part of its expansion strategy.

Boosting market growth

Ecoce administers Mexico’s producer responsibility scheme for PET, HDPE, aluminium and other packaging materials, prioritising flexible and multi-layer plastics for recycling improvements. The country produces approximately 1.5 million tonnes of flexible packaging annually, around 1.6 times the volume of PET beverage containers.

The collaboration highlights growing interest in recycling in Latin America and the potential for localised recovery of complex packaging streams. Aduro and Ecoce aim to demonstrate scalable solutions that could serve both domestic and international markets.

‘Our vision is that Mexican waste plastic will eventually be processed in Mexico,’ Aduro ceo Ofer Vicus says. ‘Some samples may go to our Ontario lab but commercial plants will handle local feedstock. Products will be shipped according to customer requirements.’