Greenback, Nestlé Inaugurate Flexible Plastic Recycling Plant

The food and beverage company Nestlé, in collaboration with the UK-based recycling company Greenback, inaugurated a plastic recycling plant in Morelos, aiming at reducing plastic waste and contributing to a circular economic model. 

Nestlé and Greenback inaugurated this state-of-the-art plastic recycling plant in Cuautla, Morelos as part of a global strategy for greener operations. Greenback pointed out that Nestlé is the first partner for a project of this nature and marks a great step for Greenback’s expansion in Mexico, Latin America and other regions that face growing plastic waste volumes. 

According to Phillipe von Stauffenberg, CEO and Founder, Greenback, an advanced plastic recycling plant offers great advantages for companies, being carbon offset certificates the most important ones. "I founded Greenback hoping to reduce the environmental impact caused by the growing amount of un-recycled plastic packaging. We have created the first fully circular value chain for post-consumer flexible packaging. Through our Voluntary Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Program, consumer goods companies engage Greenback to pay waste collectors and sorters who deliver previously valueless plastic waste for recycling. In return, the brands receive neutralization certificates that validate their genuine environmental efforts,” he added. 

The company explained the process of transforming plastic waste. First, Greenback collects plastic and integrates it into circularity. Using its registered Enval microwave technology, after, it transforms the resulting flexible plastics into pyrolysis oil known as π-Oil, which is also a registered substance. Once transformed, π-Oil can be safely used as recycled content in the production of new food packaging. The company highlighted that this process also enables the recycling of aluminum, a valuable material found in multilayer flexible packaging. 

Fausto Costa, Executive President, Nestlé Mexico, said the plan is a great achievement for both Greenback and Nestlé, since it will allow them to be pioneers in new “post-consumption urban waste” management in Mexico. “It is well known that the success in a circular model for envelope material highly depends on the availability of good infrastructure for collection, classification and recycling, as well as the design of such envelopes. Today, with the partnership, we are moving toward making recycling a reality,” he added. 

The plant will annually process waste from flexible plastic packaging equivalent to the consumption of 250,000 people. Greenback also brings much-needed transparency to waste processing. With their proprietary eco2Veritas Circularity Platform, the company collects key data, such as the origin and quantity of processed material. The platform also issues certifications for neutralized waste and provides evidence of the origin and circularity of the resulting materials that are reintegrated into the economy. 

According to the Second Report on Circular Economy from the National Association of the Chemical Industry (ANIQ), over 94% of resin production uses new plastics, which means that only 6% of the produced plastic comes from renewable sources.