Coveris, a leading flexible packaging company has taken a major stride forward in its ReCover initiative with the inauguration of an innovative recycling facility, marking the second addition to its recycling business segment. ReCover, Coveris’ dedicated recycling segment, aims to create a closed-loop system and promote circularity in plastic. The newly opened ReCover plant, situated at Coveris’ site in Louth, Lincolnshire (UK), employs groundbreaking technology to recycle printed polyethylene (PE) films.
Christian Kolarik, CEO of Coveris, emphasized the company’s vision, stating, “When we started to develop ReCover, our ambition was to close the loop and introduce a new business model, establishing ourselves as a recycler with a clear leadership in technological know-how. With ReCover Louth, we have opened our second facility, representing the next milestone in our agenda.”
Aligned with Coveris’ No Waste vision and broader sustainability frameworks for packaging in the United Kingdom and European Union, ReCover Louth breathes new life into printed PE packaging films sourced from post-industrial waste (PIW). The dedicated ReCover facility, housed within Coveris Louth’s PE extrusion and conversion site, employs an innovative de-inking recycling process to remove ink from printed film packaging waste. The resulting material is re-granulated into high-quality recycled PE resin known as ReGen. This pioneering recycling infrastructure development within the packaging industry yields a larger and more consistent supply of ReGen, enabling its use in the production of packaging films. The environmental benefits of this process are substantial, reducing reliance on virgin raw materials, eliminating waste, and ensuring plastic remain part of a circular loop.
The facility includes a state-of-the-art ReCover Lab, fully equipped to support innovation, quality control, and validation of ReGen recyclate and its extrusion into Coveris’ films containing recycled content.
Previously, Coveris Louth had a long-standing practice of reprocessing printed film waste into building films. However, the introduction of de-inking recycling capabilities at ReCover Louth now redirects printed film waste into ReGen pellet production, facilitating the creation of high-performance non-food packaging such as collation shrink films and tissue paper overwrap.
ReCover Louth has an annual production capacity of 5,000 tonnes of ReGen pellets. It utilizes printed waste feedstock from within the Coveris Group, customers’ production waste, and suitable post-industrial waste films from the industry. The use of ReGen pellets initially fulfills the recycled content requirements within the Coveris Group and complies with the UK Plastic Packaging Tax, while also supporting the targets set by the UK Plastic Pact.
ReCover Louth represents the second addition to Coveris’ closed-loop recycling business segment. In December 2022, Coveris launched ReCover alongside the acquisition of a post-consumer waste mechanical recycling facility, now operating as ReCover Blaenavon. With the capabilities of both ReCover sites, Coveris optimizes the recycling of post-industrial and post-consumer PE waste, reaffirming its commitment to promoting circularity and sustainability.
Martin Davis, President of Coveris’ Business Unit Films, emphasized the significance of sustainability to the company, stating, “The development and opening of ReCover Louth, our second recycling facility, is a significant step in our No Waste journey.”