Circular Plastics Australia

What Circular Plastics Australia does

Circular Plastics Australia is an Australian joint venture established in 2020 that operates three plastic-recycling facilities converting post-consumer PET, HDPE, and PP waste into food-grade and non-food-grade recycled resins for use in new packaging. The PET operations (Albury, NSW — commenced December 2021; Altona North, VIC — commenced December 2023) are jointly owned by Pact Group, Cleanaway Waste Management, Asahi Beverages, and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners; the PE operations (Laverton, VIC) are jointly owned by Pact Group and Cleanaway. Combined nameplate capacity is approximately 60,000 tonnes per annum, equivalent to roughly 2 billion 600 ml PET beverage bottles per year at the two PET sites plus 500 million HDPE/PP packs per year at the Laverton site. Process technology centres on multiple near-infrared (NIR) and optical sorters for non-PET separation, followed by washing, two-stage heating/drying decontamination, extrusion, and purification to produce FDA- and EFSA-approved resins.

The company sells a branded resin portfolio — rFresh-100 (food-grade rHDPE), rEdge and rPure (non-food-grade rHDPE), and rClean400 and rClean410 (non-food-grade rPP) — alongside bulk rPET, primarily to beverage and packaging manufacturers. Distribution is B2B and structurally embedded in the joint venture: feedstock flows from Cleanaway's kerbside and Container Deposit Scheme collection networks, processing is operated by Pact Group, and a meaningful share of output is consumed by Asahi Beverages and CCEP for use in their Australian beverage bottles (Pepsi Max, Schweppes, Coke, Fanta, Sprite). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The revenue model is industrial resin sales, with customers paying transactionally per tonne of food-grade or non-food-grade resin delivered.

Capital structure combines private JV equity from the four partners with ~A$14.8M in confirmed government grants from the Australian Recycling Modernisation Fund, the Victorian Government's Recycling Victoria Infrastructure Fund, and the NSW Environmental Trust. The company holds FDA, EFSA, and FSSC quality certifications and (since April 2026) SCS Global Recycled Content Certification V8.0 for rFresh-100. Awards include APPMA Sustainability Excellence (2022), National Project Management Achievement Award – Sustainability (2022), and AFR Sustainability Leaders 2023 (Manufacturing & Consumer Goods). Customer concentration is anchored to JV off-takers Asahi and CCEP, with second-tier customers including Pact Group, Bulla, Brownes Dairy, Grove Juice, and Unilever ANZ.

Name

Circular Plastics Australia

Legal name

Circular Plastics Australia (PET) Holdings Pty Ltd and Circular Plastics Australia (PE) Pty Ltd

Website

https://circularplasticsaustralia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Circular Plastics Australia is a joint venture that operates three plastic-recycling facilities in Albury, Altona North, and Laverton, processing roughly 60,000 tonnes per year of post-consumer PET, HDPE, and PP waste into food-grade and non-food-grade recycled resins for beverage, dairy, packaging, and consumer-goods manufacturers across Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Plastics Material and Resin Manufacturing (325211)

SIC

Plastic Materials, Synth Resins & Nonvulcan Elastomers (2821)

akta.pro primary industry

Recycled & Reprocessed Polymer Resin Manufacturing (rPET, rPP, rPE; PCR/PIR resins) (IMANAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food-Grade & rPET/rHDPE Recycling (Decontamination/SSP, Bottle-to-Bottle) (EUAIAKAD), Rigid Plastics Recycling (HDPE/PP, Injection/Blow Molded) (EUAIAKAF)

Keywords

• Recycled plastic resin
• PET bottle recycling
• HDPE PP recycling
• Food-grade rPET
• Circular economy packaging

Headquarters

HQ city

Cremorne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Recycled Resin Sales: Circular Plastics Australia generates revenue by selling recycled plastic resin (rPET, rHDPE, rPP) to manufacturing customers. The company processes post-consumer plastic waste collected through kerbside collections and Container Deposit Schemes, converting it into food-grade and non-food-grade recycled resins that replace local and imported virgin resin in packaging manufacturing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Circular Plastics Australia processes post-consumer PET, HDPE, and PP plastic collected through kerbside recycling and Container Deposit Schemes into food-grade and non food-grade recycled resins across three Australian facilities. It sells a branded portfolio of recycled resins (rFresh-100, rEdge, rPure, rClean400, rClean410) to packaging, beverage, dairy, and industrial manufacturers as a direct substitute for imported virgin resin, enabling closed-loop bottle-to-bottle recycling.

Product overview

Circular Plastics Australia operates a network of plastic recycling facilities across Australia, processing multiple plastic polymers (PET, HDPE, PP) into high-quality recycled resins. The company offers two main product lines: Circular Plastics Australia (PET) operates two facilities in Albury NSW and Altona North VIC, producing food-grade rPET resin; Circular Plastics Australia (PE) operates a facility in Laverton VIC producing food-grade and non food-grade rHDPE and rPP resins. The recycled resin portfolio includes rFresh-100 (food-grade rHDPE), rEdge and rPure (non food-grade rHDPE), and rClean400 and rClean410 (non food-grade rPP). These recycled resins replace local and imported virgin resin in the manufacturing of new packaging for food, beverage, and industrial applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• rFresh-100: Food-grade rHDPE resin certified for 100% post-consumer recycled content, US FDA compliant for food-contact applications
• rEdge
• rPure
• rClean400
• rClean410

Quantifiable outcome

• 79% decrease in CO2 emissions by using recycled PET (rPET) vs virgin PET
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor, supporting and core.

• Swire ShippingminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 May 2026Provides pro bono ocean freight services to transport Pacific-collected PET material to Australia for processing. Part of CCEP-led Pacific Island PET recycling pathway initiative.
• SCS Global ServicessupportingTechnology or Integration · 14 April 2026Independent certification body that issued SCS Global Recycled Content Certification V8.0 to verify rFresh-100 is manufactured entirely from post-consumer HDPE packaging. Provides third-party verification of recycled content claims.
• Pact GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 August 2021Pact Group is a core joint venture partner operating the recycling facilities and providing technical and packaging expertise. Pact operates the facilities and uses recycled resin to manufacture food and beverage packaging for customers. Part of both PET and PE joint ventures.
• Cleanaway Waste ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 August 2021Cleanaway provides plastic feedstock through its collection and sorting network (Material Recovery Facilities and Container Deposit Schemes). Joint venture partner for both PET and PE operations. Cleanaway's integrated network provides customers with high circularity solutions.
• Asahi BeveragescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 August 2021Asahi Beverages is a joint venture partner (PET only) and major customer, purchasing recycled PET resin to manufacture new beverage bottles. Committed to 100% eco-friendly materials for PET bottles by 2030. Brands include Pepsi Max, Schweppes, Solo, Cool Ridge.
• Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 August 2021CCEP is a joint venture partner (PET only) and major customer. Sources rPET for beverage bottles including Coke, Fanta, Sprite brands. 7 out of 10 CCEP bottles in Australia made from recycled content. Also partnered on Pacific PET recycling pathway initiative.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CarbonLite Recycling: US-based food-grade rPET resin manufacturer supplying beverage brand owners including major global beverage companies. Closely comparable business model — food-grade rPET at scale from post-consumer bottles — though it has experienced operational and financial challenges.
• Close the Loop: Australian plastics recycling company producing recycled-content resin compounds (including rHDPE) from post-consumer plastic waste. Directly comparable as a domestic Australian recycler producing recycled resins for packaging and consumer goods manufacturers.

Others

• Pact Group Holdings: ASX-listed Australian rigid plastics and packaging manufacturer; JV partner in CPA operating both PET and PE facilities. While not a pure peer (operator/customer rather than competitor), it is structurally intertwined with CPA and runs adjacent packaging-recycling activities in Australasia.
• Cleanaway Waste Management: ASX-listed Australian waste management company operating MRFs and Container Deposit Scheme networks; JV partner and primary feedstock supplier for CPA. While not a direct recycler of resin itself, it is the upstream supplier of post-consumer plastic feedstock to CPA and operates adjacent sorting/reprocessing infrastructure.
• Amcor: Global packaging manufacturer with significant rPET resin manufacturing and food-grade packaging operations including joint ventures like PetPower in Australia. Comparable through combined recycled resin manufacturing and direct beverage/FMCG packaging supply in the same Australian and Asia-Pacific markets as CPA.

Broad incumbents

• ALPLA Werke Alwin Lehner GmbH: Austrian global packaging manufacturer with vertically integrated PET preform and rPET resin production, including food-grade recycled resin offerings. Comparable through its combined rPET manufacturing plus direct supply to beverage and FMCG customers — same value chain position as CPA.
• Indorama Ventures: Thailand-headquartered global leader in PET and recycled PET (rPET) manufacturing with integrated resin-to-bottle operations. Comparable as the world's largest rPET producer with food-grade certification and direct supply to global beverage brand owners — directly relevant to CPA's rPET manufacturing and beverage offtake model.
• Visy Industries: Australia's largest privately-owned packaging and recycling company, operating MRFs and recycled-content packaging production including rPET manufacturing. Direct comparable as an Australian-based vertically integrated recycler and packaging supplier serving beverage and FMCG customers.
• Berry Global Group (now Glatfelter / Magnera combined): Global packaging manufacturer with significant recycled-content plastics operations including rPET and rHDPE resin production serving beverage and consumer goods customers. Comparable as a large incumbent with food-grade recycled resin capabilities and broad FMCG/beverage offtake relationships.

Emerging players

• Plastic Energy: Global chemical recycling company using pyrolysis to convert mixed and contaminated plastics (including PET/HDPE/PP) into recycled feedstocks. Comparable as an emerging player in advanced plastic recycling addressing the same end markets (food-grade packaging, beverage bottles) that CPA serves with mechanical recycling.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/circular-plastics-australia

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Circular Plastics Australia