Indorama Ventures has announced plans for a new recycling facility in Karawang, West Java, which will support the Indonesian government’s plan to reduce ocean debris.
The facility – which is expected to begin operations in 2023 – will recycle 1.92 billion PET bottles annually and create 217 new jobs.
The Karawang plant will produce PET flake feedstock that can ultimately be used in food contact applications from post-consumer bottles.
As part of a national plan of action, the government of Indonesia aims to reduce the country’s marine plastic debris by 70% by the middle of the decade, compared with 2017 levels.
The new facility will also support Indorama Ventures’ recycling ambitions. In 2019, the Thailand-based company unveiled plans to invest up to $1.5 billion to support a goal of recycling a minimum of 750,000 metric tons of PET globally by 2025.
“The unique PET plastic used in soft drinks and water bottles is 100% recyclable and must never end up in our oceans,” said Yashovardhan Lohia, chief sustainability officer at Indorama Ventures.
“[The new PET recycling facility in Karawang]…will recycle 1.92 billion post-consumer PET bottles per year from across Indonesia by the end of 2023.”
Bahlil Lahadalia, the Republic of Indonesia’s Minister of Investment, said: “I appreciate the initiative of Indorama Ventures to help the government to end and mitigate the plastic waste crisis through their investment in this greenfield recycling facility. It is time for the government, and all of us, to take action and address the waste problem.”
He added: “Together we must safeguard the richness of our marine biodiversity for our children and grandchildren.”
D K Agarwal, CEO of the combined PET, IOD and fibres business at Indorama Ventures, said: “The Indonesia government’s leadership on waste allows us to invest in the infrastructure needed.
“Giving waste an economic value, as feedstock for new bottles, also drives improvements in waste collection systems. By building the infrastructure to recycle post-consumer PET bottles into new bottles, we are reducing waste and preserving our oceans. This new recycling facility will support our shared goal of closed-loop solutions and clean oceans.”
Last year, Indorama Ventures unveiled plans for a new recycling plant in France and the expansion of two facilities in Poland, to boost its PET recycling capacity.
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2023
