Page 70 from: Recycling International May/June issue

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PLASTICS

about our prices, trade, general mar-
ket trends, investments – you name it.
The idea is that the users keep drill-
ing down to get a satisfactory answer,
one that’s calibrated based on previ-
ous conversations. Recyclers are get-
ting used to smart technology so I
believe it’s a good addition to our
existing team of data consultants
available in real-time.’

FORCA, COLOMBIA!
‘We are eager to grow our business
and are hoping to strike up new part-
nerships with European recyclers,’
says Nicole Keesling, sales executive
at Colombian recycler Enka. The com-
pany has expanded its processing
capacity and workforce in recent
years, currently employing a team of
700 people while recycling 100 000
tonnes of plastics.
Enka targets plastics packaging to
create high-quality resins and is the
main manufacturer of Nylon 6 tyre
cords across North and South
America. It operates four recycling
plants, including a dedicated bottle-
to-bottle facility. Together, the plants
handle more than six million PET bot-
tles daily. Through its subsidiary Eko
Red, the recycler has the largest PET
collection network in Colombia, oper-
ating in all 32 of its departments.
‘Learning from recyclers overseas is
crucial, though we share many chal-
lenges such as volatility in demand
and inflation, high energy prices etc,’
Keesling says. ‘Of course, Colombia
has its own problems, too. Our gov-
ernment needs to prioritise recycling
more and our infrastructure could use
an update.’
The good news for Enka is that it
recently acquired new scrap quality
certification while also improving the
traceability of its material flow.
Meanwhile, the government has
called for a 50% recycled content tar-
get to boost product sustainability
and recycling rates. ‘It gives us an
opportunity to prove what we can
do,’ Keesling adds.
‘These developments now allow us to
start trading with European partners.

It’s a goal Enka has really worked hard
towards. Together, I believe we can
really push the boundaries and
advance the sector as a whole.’

‘DETERMINED’ VIETNAM
The expo booth of Vietnamese recy-
cler Duytan stood out thanks to its
engaging team led by sales director
Tracy Duong. ‘We process around 100
000 tonnes of plastics a year and
already collaborate with major brands
like Pepsi-Cola, Nestlé and Unilever,’
she says. ‘All have production hubs in
Vietnam, making us the obvious
choice to deliver recyclates.’
Duytan’s recycling enterprise was
launched in 2019 which Duong says
was a ‘logical’ addition to its plastics
packaging manufacturing business.
‘We pride ourselves on 100% bottle-
to-bottle recycling. We’re setting up a
US subsidiary in California as we
speak to build on our success.
Currently around 50% of our output
goes to America.’
The next step is establishing a pres-
ence in Europe. ‘This was our original
goal when expanding overseas. We
even bought European recycling
machinery in 2019. It was quite a big
investment. Sadly, there have been
too many legal barriers to make it
work. At times, we were really close
to closing a contract but the rules
changed and it was game over.’
Duong goes on: ‘When we apply for a
contract in the US, we can be accred-
ited within six months. In Europe, it
easily takes a year and you lose
momentum. Overregulation, that’s
what it is. It’s discouraging but we
remain determined to succeed.’
She tells Recycling International
Duytan almost hit its annual tonnage
from 2024 in the first three months of
this year – around 70 000 tonnes. ‘I’d
say 30% of fractions is going to the
domestic market, 20% to Asian coun-
tries nearby, with another 10% going
to Europe. I have set a personal tar-
get for myself to change the num-
bers: I want to realise at least 30%
business in Europe by the end of this
year.’

PRSE AROUND THE WORLD
The PRSE conference and tradeshow portfolio is
growing every year. Several international events
will bring the brand to three regions outside
Europe.
• Plastics Recycling Show Middle East & Africa in

Dubai: 15-17 September
• Plastics Recycling Show India in Mumbai: 13-15

November
• Plastics Recycling Show Asia in Singapore: 17-18

March 2026
• PRSE in Amsterdam on 5-6 May 2026
www.prseventeurope.com

Researchers at Finland’s VTT Centre are collaborating with

Tapani Smett of Fluo Group to advance the mechanical

recycling of plastics. ‘It beats big guys like Fortum

burning our valuable scrap for a profit, then charging the

consumers double – once for recycling the material and

then again for their fuel,’ Smett says passionately.

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