ALPLArecycling

What ALPLArecycling does

ALPLArecycling is the dedicated plastics recycling division of Austrian-headquartered ALPLA Group, operating 14 businesses (including 5 joint ventures) across 10 countries with an installed and projected annual output capacity of approximately 400,000 tonnes of post-consumer recycled (PCR) material. The division was unified under the ALPLArecycling brand in 2023, consolidating activities that began in 2005 through a joint venture with IMER in Mexico. Its core products are recycled PET (rPET) pellets, available in food-grade and non-food-grade variants across multiple color grades, and recycled HDPE (rHDPE) pellets in natural and white variants for non-food packaging and milk-bottle applications.

The underlying technology is mechanical bottle-to-bottle closed-loop recycling, in which post-consumer PET and HDPE bottles are sorted by food-grade suitability and color, then processed into pellets suitable for new preform and bottle production. The company applies a climate-optimised PET recycling process using green electricity and CO2 certificate offsets for residual emissions, with verified product carbon footprint savings of up to 94% for rPET and 92% for rHDPE versus virgin material. Key proprietary differentiators include food-grade material certification capability, climate-optimized energy use, and integration with parent ALPLA Group's packaging design and manufacturing expertise, which enables recyclability to be optimized from the design stage.

ALPLArecycling operates a B2B enterprise sales model, selling recycled plastic resins to packaging manufacturers, converters, and consumer goods brands through long-term supply contracts, direct commercial relationships, and joint-venture tolling arrangements. Customer segments include packaging manufacturers and converters (primary), consumer goods and food and beverage brands (primary, e.g., Unilever, Sandoz, Frosch), and non-food consumer product companies. Revenue is generated from per-tonne resin sales by material grade and color; pricing is not publicly disclosed. As a signatory to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, ALPLArecycling has committed to invest at least 50 million euros per year through 2025 to develop the recycling business, with additional capital deployed through acquisitions (Clean Bottle in Brazil, Texplast and PET Recycling Team Wolfen in Germany, BTB PET-Recycling, Suminco) and greenfield joint ventures (Coca-Cola FEMSA in Mexico, PPT Global Chemical in Thailand, Ecohelp/UPT in Romania).

Name

ALPLArecycling

Legal name

ALPLA Group

Website

https://alplarecycling.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Short description

ALPLArecycling is the recycling division of Austrian-based ALPLA Group, operating 14 plants across 10 countries with ~400,000 tonnes per year of post-consumer recycled (PCR) capacity, producing food-grade rPET and rHDPE pellets via mechanical bottle-to-bottle recycling for packaging manufacturers, consumer goods brands, and food and beverage companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recycled Plastics Manufacturing

NAICS

Plastics Material and Resin Manufacturing (325211), Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins (325991)

SIC

Plastic Material, Synth Resin/Rubber, Cellulos (No Glass) (2820), Plastic Materials, Synth Resins & Nonvulcan Elastomers (2821)

akta.pro primary industry

Food-Grade & rPET/rHDPE Recycling (Decontamination/SSP, Bottle-to-Bottle) (EUAIAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rigid Plastics Recycling (HDPE/PP, Injection/Blow Molded) (EUAIAKAF), Reprocessed Resin & Recycled Polymer Compounding (PCR/PIR Compounds) (IMANAMAG), Recycled Resin Trading & Distribution (PCR/PIR Commodity Markets) (EUAIAKAK)

Keywords

• Plastic recycling services
• Recycled PET resin
• Recycled HDPE resin
• Bottle-to-bottle recycling
• Post-consumer recyclate

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Recycled Plastic Materials Sales: Sale of rPET and rHDPE recycled plastic pellets to packaging manufacturers, consumer goods companies, and food & beverage brands. Revenue is generated through long-term supply contracts and spot sales of recycled polymers, priced per tonne based on material grade (food-grade vs non-food-grade) and colour. The company also offers tolling arrangements through joint ventures.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ALPLArecycling operates as the dedicated recycling division of ALPLA Group, mechanically processing post-consumer plastic (PET and HDPE) bottles into food-grade and non-food-grade recycled resin pellets (rPET and rHDPE) for sale to packaging manufacturers and consumer goods brands. The company operates 14 facilities across 10 countries (including five joint ventures) with approximately 400,000 tonnes of installed and projected annual PCR capacity, applying a bottle-to-bottle closed-loop principle.

Product overview

ALPLArecycling is a plastics recycling division of ALPLA Group that operates as a single unified recycling business focused on bottle-to-bottle recycling. The company operates 14 recycling plants across 10 countries (including 5 joint ventures) with an annual capacity of approximately 400,000 tonnes of post-consumer recycled (PCR) material. The product portfolio centers on two core recycled plastic resins: rPET (recycled PET used for preform production) and rHDPE (recycled HDPE for non-food packaging applications). The company follows a closed-loop approach where packaging becomes packaging again, supported by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. ALPLArecycling was established in 2023 as the unified brand consolidating all ALPLA recycling activities globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• rPET: Recycled PET (rPET) used primarily for production of new preforms, available in food-grade and non-food-grade variants in various colors (clear, light blue, green, blue).
• rHDPE

Products and services

• rPET (Recycled PET) Post-consumer recycled PET resin pellets used primarily for producing new preforms and beverage bottles. Available in food-grade (transparent, light blue, green, blue) and non-food-grade variants. Reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 94% compared to virgin PET. Sold to packaging converters and consumer goods brands.
• rHDPE (Recycled HDPE) Post-consumer recycled HDPE resin pellets used for non-food packaging (personal care, household cleaning) and milk bottles. Available in natural and white variants. Reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 92% compared to virgin HDPE. Sold to packaging converters and consumer goods brands.

Quantifiable outcome

• rPET reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 94% compared to virgin PET material
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Clean BottlecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Brazilian HDPE recycling company. ALPLArecycling joined Clean Bottle at the beginning of 2025 and acquired a majority stake in the joint venture. Annual production capacity of 15,000 tonnes. Expands ALPLA's South American recycling footprint.
• Coca-Cola FEMSAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Joint venture partner in the PLANETA PET recycling plant in Cunduacán, Mexico. Groundbreaking in 2022; production ramp-up planned for 2024. Coca-Cola FEMSA provides offtake commitment and sustainability partnership for recycled content in their packaging.
• PPT Global ChemicalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Joint venture partner in the Envicco recycling plant for PET and HDPE in Rayong, Thailand. Commissioned in 2022. PPT Global Chemical provides regional market presence and local operational expertise in Southeast Asia.
• Ecohelp and UPTcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Joint venture for PET recycling plant in Targu Mures, Romania. Production started in 2023 with annual capacity of 18,000 tonnes of rPET. Ecohelp and UPT are local Romanian partners providing regional market access and operational collaboration.
• FROMM GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Joint venture partner in PRT Wolfen (Germany) for PET recycling. ALPLA later acquired the entire stake in the PET Recycling Team Wolfen joint venture and also acquired the Texplast recycling company from FROMM Group in 2022, significantly increasing annual processing volume in Germany.
• IMER (Industria Mexicana de Reciclaje)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005ALPLA became a joint venture partner in PET recycling at IMER in Mexico in 2005, marking its first entry into post-consumer recycling. This was the foundation of ALPLA's international recycling activities.
• Ellen MacArthur FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerALPLA is a signatory to the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, an initiative of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. As a signatory, ALPLA has committed to 100% recyclable packaging, 25% average recycled content, and investing at least 50 million euros per year through 2025 in recycling activities. This partnership drives ALPLA's sustainability strategy and provides third-party credibility for its circular economy commitments.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Indorama Ventures: One of the world's largest PET producers with significant PET recycling capacity (PET-value chain vertical integration). Directly competes with ALPLArecycling in food-grade rPET and bottle-to-bottle recycling, serving overlapping beverage and FMCG customers.
• CarbonLite: US-based PET bottle-to-bottle recycler producing food-grade rPET pellets. Directly comparable in technology (mechanical recycling), end-market (beverage bottlers), and regulatory positioning (FDA/EFSA food-contact).

Broad incumbents

• ALPLA Group: Parent organisation of ALPLArecycling and a top-tier global plastic packaging manufacturer with 206 locations. Provides the upstream packaging context into which ALPLArecycling's recyclate feeds, and is the integrated counterparty whose customer base anchors demand.
• Suez: French multinational water and waste-management company with plastics-recycling assets in Europe. Operates mechanical recycling lines for PET and HDPE and competes with ALPLArecycling for both feedstock and downstream recycled-resin customers.
• Eastman Chemical: US specialty chemical company with a methanolysis-based PET recycling technology (Eastman Renew) targeting food-contact applications. Competes in the same food-grade rPET market as ALPLArecycling but via chemical recycling, and leverages its broader polyester-resin footprint.
• Veolia: Global environmental services and waste-management major with substantial plastics recycling operations across Europe. Competes for the same post-consumer feedstock collection and offers recycled polymers, though as part of a broader waste-management portfolio rather than a recycling pure-play.

Emerging players

• Loop Industries: Canadian company using chemical depolymerisation to break down PET and polyester into monomer building blocks for virgin-quality resin. Competes in the same food-grade rPET market but with a different technology route that accepts lower-quality feedstock.
• APK AG: German company operating solvent-based recycling (Newcycling) for polyethylene and polypropylene. Targets mixed and multi-layer plastic streams that mechanical recyclers like ALPLArecycling cannot process, positioning it as a complementary/competing recycling route.
• Carbios: French biotech company developing enzymatic depolymerisation (PET hydrolase) for PET recycling. Targets the same food-grade rPET market as ALPLArecycling but via advanced/chemical recycling technology, representing both a competitive threat and a complementary technology pathway.

Regional players

• EcoBlue: European plastics recycler producing rPET and rHDPE pellets. Operates in overlapping geographies (particularly Central/Eastern Europe) with similar food-grade sorting and mechanical recycling technology, competing for both feedstock and brand-owner customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ALPLApackaging
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ALPLApackaging
• Facebookfacebook.com/ALPLA-Group-2327667407514858
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/110410

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ALPLArecycling