Sustainable Plastics - November/December 2023 - 22

sustainable packaging
The facility in Donora,
Pennsylvania
Dummy Inc. photo
Circular
and proud
A circular economy is too big and too important for any one of us to achieve
alone. The clear need for joined thinking throughout the plastic packaging
industry to support a circular economy must be driven by like-minded
individuals, representing businesses that want to be sure they're on the right
side of history. By Emma-Jane Batey
I
t's not an easy task. The
anachronistic
reality
of consumers wanting
greater convenience from
reduced packaging sits alongside
responsible brands still
wanting to increase volumes of
sales while keeping their consumers
happy. Combine that
with a broader understanding of
sustainable packaging options
and the increasing legislation
for what constitutes sustainable
packaging, and you have an interesting
challenge.
Thankfully, there are plenty
of innovative players committed
to grasping that challenge with
both hands. But the real magic
happens when these innovative
players join hands and work out
how best to work together. Darius
Janulionis, CEO of Retal PA,
the North American facility for
the multinational plastic packaging
group Retal, leads a team
of dynamic experts in producing
up to 100% rPET preforms
for food and beverage brands
across North America and the
east coast of Canada.
The 150,000-square-foot facility
in Donora, Pennsylvania,
uses 100% renewable energy,
produced 1.247bn preforms in
2022 and runs a less than 0.5%
scrap margin. Its range of preforms
are made for various global
and local household names,
22
especially those who appreciate
the up to 100% rPET which is
reliably available at the volumes
they require. Janulionis explains
how this guaranteed supply of
sustainable raw materials is key
to its rapid growth, with total
production doubling since 2018.
" We're an ambitious team with
the backing of [a] global group,
and we're continually pushing
ourselves and stretching the
boundaries. We want to keep
growing but without costing
the Earth. Our shared focus is to
produce sustainable packaging
in a sustainable way for customers
that demand responsible
solutions, " he said.
Progressive partners
To keep achieving this reliably
and flexibly, Janulionis and his
team rely on one another and
carefully selected partners that
also share this focus. Evergreen,
a leader in recycling and producing
food-grade rPET across
the US, is crucial to Retal's ability
to offer a continuous supply
of up to 100% rPET preforms,
with its welcome balance of
advanced recycling technology
and progressive approach to diverting
millions of pounds of recyclable
materials from landfills,
oceans and communities.
Marc Schins, VP of sales for
November/December 2023
Evergreen, appreciates that
they must clearly 'see a lot of
the pieces of the puzzle' to continually
fulfill their mission of
'supporting the circular economy
by making landfills a thing of
the past'. Originally founded in
1998 to provide a reliable supply
of quality polyester resin to its
PET strapping sister company
Greenbridge, Evergreen today
is in North America's top three
largest plastic (PET) recyclers
and producers of rPET, with
locations in Albany, New York;
Clyde, Ohio; Riverside, California;
and Amherst, Nova Scotia,
with expectations to be the
market leader.
Producing 217 million pounds
of rPET in 2022, Evergreen's
ultramodern facilities include
solid-state polycondensation
reactors capable of creating the
high-quality, food-grade rPET
demanded by the world's leading
global brands.
Schins explained: " We work
hard to be able to make an
immediate impact. We have a
clear vision and we're involved
in every step; we can take plastic
bales in and convert them to
rPET pellets at all our facilities.
It's incredible; it only takes eight
to 12 hours for the total process.
We want to be known as a provider
of an engineered product
rather than just a mechanical
recycler. We're not reliant on
the flake market; it's very much
bottle-to-bottle circularity. "
The Evergreen team works
directly with bottle processors
such as Retal that currently
take a large volume of rPET
from them to meet the stringent
requirements of its global beverage
brand customers.
Schins continued: " We all
have a part to play in creating,
supporting and promoting the
circular economy. Working with
bottle processes is my day to
day, but the real impact comes
from the brands. They are the
face of the customer and can
direct who the processors use;
by specifying sustainable and
responsible partners, we can
make huge steps forward in the
circular economy. "
Those huge steps forward
must be taken side by side,
with processors, raw material
providers and brands understanding
what they each need
to contribute. Janulionis agreed:
" Once we made the decision
to commit to 100% rPET, using
100% renewable energy, our
sustainable production turned
on like a switch. We've always
pushed ourselves, and this feels
like the right thing to do - for
our business, our customers
and the environment. The transition
happened in high season,
Sustainable Plastics - November/December 2023

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