Palurec
Palurec GmbH is a German recycling company, wholly owned by the FKN beverage carton trade association, that operates a single Hürth-based facility converting Poly-Al residue from beverage cartons into marketable LDPE, HDPE, and aluminium recyclates using a water-only physical-mechanical process.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersHürth, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Palurec does
Palurec GmbH is a privately held German recycling company founded in December 2017 and wholly owned by the Fachverband Kartonverpackungen für flüssige Nahrungsmittel e.V. (FKN), the German beverage carton industry association. The company operates a single recycling facility at the Chemiepark Hürth near Cologne, where it processes the plastic-aluminium composite (Poly-Al) residue left behind after beverage carton paper fibres are recovered in paper mills. Palurec's core technology, branded the Palurec Procedure, is a purely physical-mechanical separation process using water as the sole separating agent (no solvents). It combines standard plastics-processing aggregates — shredder, friction washers, hydrocyclone, zig-zag air sifter, extruder, and granulator — in a novel configuration that the company claims is the first of its kind in Germany capable of producing marketable recyclates from Poly-Al waste.
The plant began commercial operations in Spring 2021 with a first-stage input capacity of approximately 18,000 tonnes per year, funded by an approximately EUR 8 million corporate investment from the three FKN member companies — Tetra Pak GmbH, SIG Combibloc GmbH, and Elopak GmbH — which collectively produce around 95% of all beverage cartons sold in Germany. Palurec monetises its output by selling three recycled material streams directly to industrial buyers: aluminium recyclate (for castings), HDPE recyclate from caps (for non-food products such as canisters, pipes, and boxes), and LDPE recyclate marketed under the Paluren brand (Paluren 500, Paluren Flakes, Paluren Agglomerat, Paluren Regranulat) for injection moulding applications. The feedstock supply chain is integrated with the German Dual System (yellow bin/sack) collection infrastructure via ReCarton GmbH, an FKN-established service provider that has coordinated beverage carton collection and logistics since 1991.
Palurec operates in a B2B industrial context with a small headcount of six employees. Its strategic value is enabling the German beverage carton industry to lift overall carton recyclability from roughly the fibre-recovery share to above 90% by converting the previously downcycled Poly-Al fraction (formerly used only as low-emission cement kiln fuel) into marketable secondary raw materials. The company holds four ISO certifications (9001, 14001, 45001, 50001) valid through 2026, a RecyClass certification (2025), and a Letztempfängerzertifikat under the German Packaging Act (VerpackG). Andreas Henn serves as Managing Director (Geschäftsführer).
Palurec firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Palurec
- Legal name
- Palurec GmbH
- Website
- https://palurec.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Palurec GmbH is a German recycling company, wholly owned by the FKN beverage carton trade association, that operates a single Hürth-based facility converting Poly-Al residue from beverage cartons into marketable LDPE, HDPE, and aluminium recyclates using a water-only physical-mechanical process.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Palurec industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Plastic Recycling / Industrial Recycled Materials
- NAICS
- Plastics Product Manufacturing (3261), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Plastics Products (3080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Closed-Loop & Toll Reprocessing Services (Contract Recycling) (IMANAMAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Rigid Plastics Recycling (HDPE/PP, Injection/Blow Molded) (EUAIAKAF), Plastics Sorting & Reprocessing (PET, HDPE, Film) (BPALADAE), Post-Consumer Plastic Collection & Sorting (MRF/PRF, Bale Supply) (EUAIAKAA)
Keywords
Where Palurec is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hürth
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Palurec business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- LDPE Recyclate Sales: LDPE recyclate produced from Poly-Al film fractions is sold as granules or flakes for injection moulding applications. The material is marketed under the Paluren brand product lines (Paluren 500, Paluren Flakes, Paluren Agglomerat, Paluren Regranulat).
- HDPE Recyclate Sales: HDPE recyclate from beverage carton caps and closures is sold for use in non-food products such as canisters, pipes, and boxes after further processing. Also sold as PO Caps Palurec product.
- Aluminium Recyclate Sales: Aluminium separated via hydrocyclone is sold to an aluminium recycler/upgrader for processing into marketable aluminium, suitable as an admixture for castings.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Palurec product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Palurec GmbH operates a single recycling facility at the Hürth Chemical Park that processes the plastic-aluminium (Poly-Al) residue from used beverage cartons into three marketable secondary raw materials: LDPE granules, HDPE granules, and aluminium. The company uses a purely physical-mechanical process with water as the sole separating agent, combining standard plastics-processing aggregates in a novel configuration. The output recyclates are sold under the Paluren brand family (Paluren 500, Paluren Flakes, Paluren Agglomerat, Paluren Regranulat) and as PO caps Palurec to industrial buyers manufacturing non-food plastic products.
Product overview
Palurec GmbH is a poly-Al recycling company that operates a single unified recycling facility and produces a portfolio of recyclate products. The core offering is the Palurec Procedure, a physical-mechanical recycling process that converts the plastic-aluminium material mix from used beverage cartons into marketable raw materials. The product portfolio includes: aluminium recyclate suitable for castings, HDPE recyclate from caps for non-food applications, and LDPE recyclate products marketed under the Paluren brand (Paluren 500, Paluren Flakes, Paluren Agglomerat, Paluren Regranulat) for injection moulding. Additionally, PO caps Palurec provides HDPE from closures. All products are derived from the same recycling process at the Hürth facility.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Paluren 500: LDPE recyclate product
- Paluren Flakes
- Paluren Agglomerat
- Paluren Regranulat
- PO caps Palurec
Products and services
- Paluren 500 LDPE recyclate product from the Poly-Al recycling process at the Hürth plant, available as screening documentation. Sold to industrial buyers for use in non-food plastic applications.
- Paluren Flakes LDPE recyclate in flake form from the Poly-Al recycling process, sold as a secondary raw material to industrial buyers.
- Paluren Agglomerat LDPE recyclate in agglomerate form, used for injection moulding applications as an admixture. Available as a product data sheet.
- Paluren Regranulat LDPE re-granulate recyclate suitable for injection moulding applications as an admixture. Available as a product data sheet.
- Aluminium Recyclate Aluminium recyclate recovered from used beverage carton Poly-Al via hydrocyclone separation, suitable as an admixture for castings. Sold to aluminium recyclers/upgraders.
- HDPE Recyclate (PO Caps Palurec) HDPE recyclate from beverage carton caps and closures, sold under the PO caps Palurec product for use in non-food products such as canisters, pipes, and boxes after further processing.
Quantifiable outcome
- Beverage carton recyclability increased to >90%
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Palurec
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Palurec technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Palurec partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Fachverband Kartonverpackungen für flüssige Nahrungsmittel e.V. (FKN)coreFKN is the sole shareholder of Palurec GmbH, having founded the company in December 2017. FKN represents the three major beverage carton manufacturers in Germany and has been central to establishing and expanding the recycling infrastructure for used beverage cartons since the start of the German Dual System in 1991. FKN coordinates the entire beverage carton recycling value chain from household collection through to Palurec's processing.
- ReCarton GmbHcoreReCarton GmbH was established in 1991 as a service provider to the dual system companies in Germany. It organises the marketing and distribution of used beverage cartons from household collections, managing the logistics chain from the yellow bin/sack collection system through to paper mills and ultimately to Palurec for Poly-Al processing. It is a key operational partner in the closed-loop recycling ecosystem.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Palurec competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Grüner Punkt (Duales System Deutschland): Operator of the German dual system's collection infrastructure for consumer packaging waste, including beverage cartons. Comparable as a regional player at the front end of the same collection and sorting value chain that supplies Poly-Al feedstock to Palurec.
- Interseroh: German recycling and environmental services provider operating within the dual system framework, with plastics recycling and trading operations. Comparable as a regional player focused on the same German packaging-recycling value chain Palurec serves.
Broad incumbents
- Veolia: Global environmental services and recycling major with plastics recovery operations across Europe. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing for the same downstream recyclate buyers and integrated with municipal / packaging-recycling collection streams similar to those feeding Palurec.
- PreZero: Schwarz Group's environmental services arm operating materials recovery facilities and plastic recycling across Europe. Comparable as an integrated incumbent with collection infrastructure and plastics sorting/reprocessing capabilities overlapping with Palurec's value chain.
- Suez: International water and waste management group with significant European plastics recycling and materials recovery infrastructure. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering overlapping capabilities and competing for the same non-food recyclate off-take market.
Direct peers
- APK AG: Germany-based plastics recycler using a solvent-based Newcycling process to recover polyolefins from complex multilayer packaging waste. Directly comparable to Palurec in that both target hard-to-recycle plastic-aluminium / multilayer fractions and aim to produce virgin-grade recyclates in Germany.
- MBA Polymers: Specialises in recovering engineering-grade plastics from complex end-of-life durable goods and automotive scrap. Comparable in its focus on high-value recyclate streams from technically challenging, multi-material inputs — analogous to Palurec's Poly-Al separation challenge.
Emerging players
- Carbios: French biotech company using enzymatic depolymerization to recycle PET into virgin-grade monomers. Comparable as an emerging advanced-recycling competitor that could, over time, displace mechanical recycling routes for certain packaging polymers.
- Plastic Energy: Operates pyrolysis-based advanced recycling plants converting plastic waste into pyrolysis oil for virgin plastic production. Comparable as an alternative technology pathway addressing similar difficult plastic fractions that mechanical recyclers like Palurec also target.
Others
- TOMRA: Provider of sensor-based sorting technology widely used in materials recovery facilities to separate beverage cartons and other packaging fractions upstream of Palurec's process. Comparable as an enabling technology provider in the same Poly-Al recycling value chain.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Palurec social profiles
Digital presencePalurec compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Palurec financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Palurec leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Palurec funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Palurec M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Palurec
What does Palurec do?
Palurec GmbH operates a single recycling facility at the Hürth Chemical Park that processes the plastic-aluminium (Poly-Al) residue from used beverage cartons into three marketable secondary raw materials: LDPE granules, HDPE granules, and aluminium. The company uses a purely physical-mechanical process with water as the sole separating agent, combining standard plastics-processing aggregates in a novel configuration. The output recyclates are sold under the Paluren brand family (Paluren 500, Paluren Flakes, Paluren Agglomerat, Paluren Regranulat) and as PO caps Palurec to industrial buyers manufacturing non-food plastic products.
Is Palurec a public or private company?
Palurec is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Palurec founded?
Palurec was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Palurec based?
Palurec is headquartered in Hürth, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Palurec make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. LDPE Recyclate Sales are the primary driver. The others are HDPE Recyclate Sales and aluminium Recyclate Sales.
Who are Palurec's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Grüner Punkt (Duales System Deutschland) and Interseroh. Broad incumbents are Veolia, PreZero and Suez. Direct peers are APK AG and MBA Polymers. Emerging players are Carbios and Plastic Energy. TOMRA is listed as an others.
Does Palurec have an API?
No public API is recorded for Palurec.
What industry is Palurec in?
Palurec's product category is Plastic Recycling / Industrial Recycled Materials. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMANAMAJ, Closed-Loop & Toll Reprocessing Services (Contract Recycling), with a secondary code of EUAIAKAF, Rigid Plastics Recycling (HDPE/PP, Injection/Blow Molded). Its NAICS code is 3261 and its SIC code is 3080.