The plant will be located at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in Geleen, Netherlands.
London-based Itero Technologies, a chemical recycling technology provider, has received a 6 million euro investment with 5 million euros from Infinity Recycling’s Circular Plastics Fund to support the design and construction of Itero’s first at-scale demonstration plant, located at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus in Geleen, Netherlands.
According to a news release from Itero Technologies, the plant will be able to process 27,000 metric tons of residual plastic scrap per year. Itero Technologies says the proprietary pyrolysis process it developed converts plastic scrap into what it calls high-value chemical products while diverting end-of-life plastics from landfill and incineration, reducing the consumption of crude oil.
“We are delighted that the significant potential of the technology developed by Itero is acknowledged by Infinity Recycling and other investors,” says Simon Hansford, CEO of Itero. “Maintaining public goodwill and responding to environmental concerns about plastic waste requires a process to recycle plastic safely, sustainably and economically. Itero is working to provide a solution to that problem.”
Itero reports that it has been in what it calls “a longstanding relationship” with Infinity Recycling, which is a Rotterdam-based investment manager focused on helping advanced recycling companies to upscale and commercialize their technologies and grow the market for recycled polymers.
“Infinity Recycling is excited to anchor this investment round and help Itero with the upscaling of its technology and process,” says Jeroen Kelder, managing partner of Infinity Recycling B.V. “We have known Itero and the team for over three years and have supported them in a wide range of areas. The Circular Plastic Fund’s capital commitment is the next step in our strong collaboration and paves the way for the next phase in Itero’s exciting evolution.”
The new appointees come from Keurig Dr Pepper, Ball Corp., Nestle USA and the Association of Plastic Recyclers.
The Recycling Partnership, Washington, recently made changes to its board of directors. The board guides and supports The Partnership’s plan and builds on the organization’s mission, transforming U.S. residential recycling and advancing the circular economy.
“When companies make commitments to reduce waste, improve recycling, and advance the circular economy, it’s our job to insist and assist,” says Keefe Harrison, CEO of The Recycling Partnership. “Our board is comprised of industry-leading sustainability and recycling advocacy experts from leading companies across the value chain who are committed to transforming U.S. recycling and enhancing a circular economy.”
At the June board of directors meeting, the following officers were elected:
Chair – Monique Oxender, Keurig Dr Pepper;
Vice Chair – Stephanie Potter, Nestlé USA;
Vice Chair – Gary McElyea, The Coca-Cola Co.;
Treasurer – Steve Alexander, Association of Plastic Recyclers; and,
Secretary – Sara Axelrod, Ball Corp.
“As the U.S. makes the critical shift toward a circular economy, there is an opportunity to significantly improve recycling through The Partnership’s cross-sector collaborations,” Oxender says. “Companies are amplifying both dollars and action by investing in solutions that accelerate change, reflecting an action-oriented focus that The Recycling Partnership can uniquely deliver.”
The five appointments join seven industry leaders recently elected to serve on The Recycling Partnership’s board of directors. The newly elected directors include Holli Alexander, a strategic initiatives manager of sustainability at Eastman; Meghan Altman, environmental impact lead for Danone North America; Scott Breen, vice president of sustainability for the Can Manufacturers Institute; Gary McElyea, the head of North American public policy center for The Coca-Cola Co.; and Stephanie Potter, the head of sustainability for corporate and government affairs for Nestlé USA.
Also reelected for an additional term was Megan Daum, the vice president of sustainability for the American Beverage Association, and Scott Hemink, ITQ director of packaging for General Mills.
The Recycling Partnership says it fosters relationships across the recycling value chain to connect needs to solutions, build data-driven tools, engage policymakers and communicate with stakeholders to accelerate change. The Partnership works with communities across the country to improve recycling and supports companies as they improve packaging to support climate and sustainability goals. It also engages with policymakers to address the systemic needs of the residential recycling system.
The grant will help the organization purchase equipment to haul and transport scrap tires.
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has awarded a $750,000 grant to Tennessee Tire Recycling (TTR) in Lebanon, Tennessee, as part of the state’s Tire Environmental Act Program.
According to a news release from TDEC, TTR, a division of Rockwood Sustainable Solutions, will provide matching funds of $914,170 and use the grant to purchase equipment related to the hauling collection and transportation of tires between counties. TTR plans to increase its hauling capacity through the purchase of a truck, trailers and a mobile grinder to support counties across the state with more options for managing scrap tires. The project will cost a total of about $1.66 million and will enable TTR to recycle about 700,000 tires annually.
“TDEC is proud to support the business community in its efforts to implement environmentally responsible actions,” says TDEC Commissioner David Salyers. “TDEC is a resource, not just a regulator. We are proud to be a resource in working with our communities through the grant process while working with the Tennessee General Assembly to obtain the funding for grants that help protect our natural resources and grow local economies throughout the state.”
According to TDEC, the Tire Environmental Act Program selects and funds projects that best result in beneficial uses for scrap tires. Projects must qualify for one of three categories: tire processing/recycling, tire-derived material use or research and development. The program provides grants to eligible entities, including local governments, nonprofit organizations, higher education institutions, K-12 schools and for-profit entities.
TDEC says the state established its Tire Environmental Fund in 2015. Upon the first retail sale of a new motor vehicle to be titled and registered in Tennessee, a flat fee based on the number of a vehicle’s wheels is assessed, and that fee goes into the fund, which is used for projects creating or supporting beneficial end uses for scrap tires. Since 2015, grantees have received about $4.5 million from the program and about 3.6 million tires have been diverted from landfills as a result. The tires have been repurposed for use in rubberized asphalt, tire-derived aggregate, tire-derived fuel, granulated rubber porous flexible pavement and other end uses.
Komal Jain recently served as executive director for the Center for Biocide Chemistries and senior director at the American Chemistry Council in Washington.
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), Washington, has selected Komal Jain as senior vice president of advocacy. Jain will lead the development and implementation of ISRI strategy for advancing the organization’s advocacy agenda and priorities across all levels of government as well as with stakeholders through the recycling chain.
Jain most recently served as executive director for the American Chemistry Council's (ACC's) Center for Biocide Chemistries (CBC) and senior director at the ACC in Washington. She joined ACC as assistant general counsel in 2014.
“[Komal] brings an incredible depth of experience to her role as senior vice president at ISRI and we’re excited that she’ll be leading our advocacy team,” says Robin Wiener, ISRI president. “Her strategic vision for the recycling policy landscape and regulatory environment is exactly what’s needed as we continue to champion the recycling industry and its important role in creating a more sustainable future for our planet.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to amplify ISRI’s voice for the recycling industry,” Jain says. “As we focus increasingly on a circular economy, sustainability and our environmental well-being, we should not debate the essentiality of recycling. I look forward to working with all levels of government and stakeholders on advancing the vital role and contributions of recycling.”
While at ACC, Jain directed and managed the CBC’s legal, regulatory, legislative, scientific and educational programs related to antimicrobial pesticides and pesticide products. She also provided strategic legal and compliance advice to companies in the chemicals industry. Additionally, she conducted advocacy for the responsible regulation of biocides by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. states and European Union member states.
Before working at ACC, Jain served as counsel at Keller and Heckman LLP in Washington. She counseled on environmental compliance, with a focus on community right-to-know, Superfund, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Clean Water Act and biodiversity.
Jain also served as vice chairperson for the State Water Control Board of Virginia. She was appointed to the board by Gov. Mark Warner and Gov. Timothy Kaine. Additionally, she was an attorney-adviser to the Federal Aviation Administration, Office of the Chief Counsel and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, Water Enforcement Division.
Jain is a trustee at the McLean Community Foundation and a former Business and Industry Representative at the OECD Working Group on Biocides. She is a former member of EPA’s federal advisory committee, the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC). Jain was selected to serve on the PPDC by EPA Administrators Gina McCarthy and Scott Pruitt.
She received a juris doctor from The T.C. Williams School of Law, University of Richmond, Virginia, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from James Madison University in Harrisburg, Virginia.
Novelis has focused on aluminum’s recyclability for both developments.
Atlanta-based aluminum producer Novelis Inc. has expanded its Evercycle portfolio to the cosmetics packaging market and has signed a cooperation research agreement with European multinational aerospace company Airbus.
Novelis says Evercycle Cosmetics is certified to contain 100-percent-recycled aluminum and can achieve customers’ anodized quality requirements.
“With increasing consumer desire for more sustainable products, Novelis is proud to offer our customers a new packaging solution that is not only made from 100-percent-recycled aluminum, but one that can also be easily recycled again,” says Jami Chime, account manager, Specialty Products, Novelis North America. “Given the advantages of recycling aluminum, Novelis aims to enable more sustainable solutions alongside our customers. As we take steps to decrease carbon emissions 30 percent by 2026 and become a carbon neutral company by 2050 or sooner, we remain committed to increasing the amount of recycled content in our products.”
Novelis developed the Evercycle Cosmetics alloy with Anomatic, an aluminum product manufacturer based in New Albany, Ohio. Anomatic first patented its anodizing technology, the Anomatic System, in 1967. Anodizing is an electrochemical process that transforms aluminum’s composition by adding a decorative and durable barrier while maintaining the sustainable benefits of the metal. It is an increasingly preferred choice for cosmetics, consumer electronics, medical device and pharmaceutical packaging, Novelis says. Evercycle enables Anomatic to offer the cosmetics packaging industry new options using its all-aluminum, customizable stock packaging range. Consumers can place these 100-percent-recyclable containers into their curbside recycling bins when empty, contributing to a circular economy.
“Anomatic believes it is our corporate social responsibility to make decisions and take actions that protect and benefit our planet," says Mark Ormiston, vice president – Innovation, Technology & Sustainability, Anomatic. "We are proud of our longstanding partnership with Novelis, enabling us to develop a groundbreaking product that reduces our carbon footprint and benefits brands and consumers alike who share a passion for more sustainable solutions. Rethinking packaging’s function, design and manufacture from cradle-to-end-use, we are cultivating and fostering innovation that leads to positive change.”
Evercycle Cosmetics is certified by SCS Global Services to contain 100-percent-recycled aluminum. SCS Global Services is a third-party certification company providing independent verification that sustainability claims related to an organization’s products and operations are honest, valid and transparent. This is the second commercially available Evercycle offering by Novelis following its introduction of a 100-percent-recycled-aluminum food container alloy.
Novelis produces its Evercycle Cosmetics alloy in Oswego, New York; Kingston, Ontario; and Buckhannon, West Virginia.
Cooperation research agreement with Airbus
Novelis says the cooperation research agreement with Leiden, Netherlands-based aerospace company Airbus will allow for tighter collaboration between the two companies and advance the development of aluminum solutions for future aircraft.
The agreement will accelerate the pace of the companies’ joint research and development programs. Novelis says it is aiding the evolution of aircraft design, material and manufacturing, with a focus on sustainability.
“At Novelis, we are confident that this agreement will allow us to take full advantage of the circularity potential of aluminum as a material that can be infinitely recycled without loss of performance,” says Philippe Meyer, senior vice president and chief technology officer at Novelis. “Aluminum is the perfect solution to make the new generations of aircraft lighter, to enable the usage of new engine solutions and to make the aircraft manufacturing and supply chain more cost effective and robust.”