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SUCCESS IS…

YOUR ADVANTAGES WITH
FLOTTWEG SEPARATION
TECHNOLOGY
· Very high separation precision in plastics recycling

· Separation of mixed substances such as fibres

· No additional dewatering or spinning required

· Conservation of resources such as water and energy

· Reduction in operating costs due to an optimum process

®

THE SHAPE OF SHREDDERforrec.eu

existing staff, many of whom were
retained in the 90-strong workforce,
the changeover marks another of
Novamont’s business aims: to help
regenerate industrial facilities rather
than build on greenfield sites. Around
40% of the buildings are new, the
remainder being existing infrastruc-
ture that has undergone major main-
tenance and improvements. It calcu-
lates that 246 000 tonnes of CO2
equivalent emissions per year have
been avoided by the upgrading work.
Patrica was formally unveiled in
October 2018 and, as well as Origo-
Bi, it has an annual output capacity of
40 000 tonnes of Mater-Bi and 10 000
tonnes of bio-THF. The group’s overall
production capacity is now similar to
that of US rival NatureWorks.
For ceo Catia Bastioli the group’s sus-
tainable products address the circular

economy. ‘The goal is to facilitate a
recycling system which minimises the
waste of organic matter, which is so
fundamental for the soil, and maxi-
mise the possibility of recovering tra-
ditional plastics,’ she explains. ‘This is
part of the circular economy model in
which we must … collaborate with var-
ious stakeholders in new ways to
achieve three fundamental objectives:
new local economic growth in the sec-
tor, social inclusion and the regenera-
tion of local natural capital.’

RETAILERS SIGN UP
The growing concern over single-use
plastic shopping bags has helped the
company promote biodegradable
bags. Novamont’s latest major con-
tract is with UK retailer, Co-op, to sup-
ply bio-based and compostable carrier
bags for shoppers at its 1 400 stores.

Other retailers signed up include
Leclerc in France, Carrefour (France
and Italy), Coop (Finland), Delhaize
(Belgium), and Esselunga (Italy). A
major marketing angle for the UK
Co-Op is that these bags can be re-
used for food waste in the home. One
city that has bought into the
Novamont philosophy is Milan where
the waste managers use of Mater-Bi
bags for both household and business
food waste. But such recycling policies
are still being adopted only locally.

PET ALTERNATIVE?
Novamont’s Innocenti accepts that a
more comprehensive buy-in to bio
would require a whole new waste
stream for food waste and composta-
ble applications to be implemented
nationwide. ‘As the case of Milan
shows, such a system can be realised

rather quickly and efficiently even on a
big-city-scale,’ he tells Recycling
International. ‘Most experts think this
is the sole measure that allows to pass
the 50% threshold in recycling – Milan
is now at 62% – which is probably the
reason why it will become compulsory
in all EU cities by 2025.’
Mater-Bi currently competes only with
low-value plastics and one reason is
that it is more expensive than other
polymers such as PET. But that eco-
nomic dynamic in the marketplace
could change as brands, manufactur-
ers and retailers change their products
– and particularly packaging – in
response to concerns over sustainabil-
ity. As with biodegradable, composta-
ble film and single-use plastics, a
change to bio-PET would have major
implications for recyclers. As yet,
that’s still some way off.

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