Amcor deploys cutting-edge recycling module at UK plant 

UK – Greenback Recycling Technologies has rolled out its Enval advanced recycling module for the first time in the UK at Amcor’s packaging facility in Heanor, Derbyshire. 

The installation targets household post-consumer flexible packaging waste, such as multilaminate materials from cereal and bread bags, transforming it into high-quality pyrolytic oil for food-grade plastics production.

This setup marks a step toward integrating recycling directly into manufacturing sites. The module will undergo a six-month commissioning and trial phase to test its fit within existing industrial setups. 

Data from the process will flow through eco2Veritas, Greenback’s platform that uses AI and IoT to track waste intake up to oil output. 

Each batch of oil includes a digital certificate of provenance, enabling mass-balance tracking as it turns into recycled plastics down the supply chain.

Philippe von Stauffenberg, CEO of Greenback, highlighted the collaboration’s role in scaling solutions. 

He stated that hosting the module at Amcor’s Heanor site enables real-time input from global experts to fine-tune the system before wider rollout.

The project receives funding from the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, focusing on proving the technology’s commercial and environmental gains. 

Success here could lead Amcor to add more modules at Heanor or other locations. 

In a statement, the company noted that Greenback’s approach might eventually support fully circular options for flexible packaging.

Andrew Green, vice president at Amcor Flexibles Europe, Middle East, and Africa, explained that blending Greenback’s tech with Amcor’s operations helps advance circularity for soft plastics. 

He added that this supports customers in meeting their sustainability goals.

The trials come amid recent enhancements at the Heanor site. 

Last month, Amcor wrapped up major upgrades, including modernized wash plants and improved quality systems, boosting recyclate output by 2,800 tonnes annually for flexible packaging uses. 

Onsite water treatment now recirculates water, cutting resource demands. These changes prepare the facility for the UK’s 2027 mandate on curbside collection of flexible packaging.

According to a report by Packaging Insights, Greenback’s process holds potential beyond plastics.

Company officials indicated it could handle paper, metals, and glass in future applications.

In related developments, Amcor announced a memorandum of understanding with SK Geo Centric to source chemically recycled materials in the Asia-Pacific region starting next year, valued at up to US$100 million in initial volumes. 

This builds on Amcor’s global push, where its FY23 sustainability data showed absolute greenhouse gas emissions dropping by 5% amid rising recycled content in products.

The Heanor initiative arrives as European regulators tighten rules on plastic waste.

Industry watchers expect such on-site modules to cut transport emissions and speed up material loops, with the UK’s flexible packaging recycling rate hovering at 30% currently.