Committed to a successful ecological transformation of plastics with PlastiLoop

We had reached a point where continuing to tackle the challenge of recycling plastics in the way we had been doing it for decades was not sufficient. We needed a drastic change. A 360-degree turn. By announcing the launch of PlastiLoop, the Veolia new brand of ready-to-use recycled resins, I am both proud and convinced that we are indeed, at the verge of a small revolution in the world of plastic recycling.

We listened to our teams on the ground which are in daily contact with our clients, we studied the strength and weaknesses of the existing models, we interviewed our people and worked collaboratively with our teams in innovations, sales, communications. And we came to one conclusion: in order to support our industrial clients in their transformation, and by doing so accelerate the ecological transformation, we had to be able to propose not only quality and variety but also and more importantly reliability across an entire range of references and accessibility in the way our future and existing clients can access the exact product they are looking for, having now a one point of entry to our teams of experts, wherever they are located in the world.

At Veolia, plastic recycling is a success story that began decades ago. The story goes that it all started with coat hangers being collected, recycled and offered back on the market, customers having no idea that the new coat hangers they were buying were made of 100% recycled plastic. 

These past years, we have had no choice but to challenge each of our nearly 40 existing recycling plants globally to be part of reinventing our activities and innovating in our offerings.

I followed the evolution of this market over the years. We have known for a long time how to develop and optimise mechanical recycling channels. These processes, capable of recycling large volumes of plastics, still have a lot of potential today to produce more but also to give used resins a new life. 

This is why, back in 2019 when elaborating our strategic plan, Veolia set itself the ambitious target to go from 350kt of recycled plastic in our plants to 610kt by 2023. And I am pleased to report, that this number will be met!

At this stage of our history in the recycling of plastic, the launch of PlastiLoop, the Veolia brand for circular polymers, therefore comes as an evidence. 

At its core, the purpose of PlastiLoop is to support our industrial clients in their ecological transformation thanks to a unique and structured range of high quality circular polymers, addressing their needs for many of their applications, even for the most stringent standards applicable on their markets. Our solution provides a customised approach for each industry.

For a long time already, Veolia has been producing a wide variety of recycled resins in the form of flakes, pellets, compounds or even filaments. Each of these plastics meets the strictest quality and compliance standards and can be used in your processes as a substitute for virgin resins.

In addition to many irrefutable technical performances, due to our implementation worldwide, our clients can benefit from the power of Veolia’s global network, with our extensive presence in Europe and Asia. 

Circular polymers are officially recognised as a valuable solution for a responsible use of plastics, reduced carbon footprint and more resource savings. It goes without saying, but catchit’s good to be said: without proper collection and recycling, plastics affect our environment, harm the planet and have a long-lasting impact on ecosystems. If we want to accelerate the ecological transformation, we have to respond to four major challenges: fight climate change, optimise the use of resources, treat pollution, even the most difficult, and improve quality of life. 

Instead of relying solely on technological leaps that could still appear uncertain or wishing for a scientific outbreak that could clean and save the planet, we can act quickly by making intelligent and responsible choices, by giving priority to the use of materials that we know already how to recycle or by investing time and efforts in e(co)-designing products that take into consideration the whole life-cycle of the products and its components, so that by producing and consuming, we do not harm the environment further.

And because in life not everything has to be complicated, I share with you what I consider  a perfect example of how simple the recycling cycle can be. Simple? well, only if we have the right level of collaboration, innovative thinking, and determination to make it happen! In the UK, with one of our British clients in the Food & Beverage industry, we were able to enable the full closed-loop production of milk bottles. Turning used milk bottles into….new milk bottles made of recycled PEHD resins. 

I will leave you on a semi-positive note: Recycling is projected to grow at a faster pace than all other waste management approaches, with recycling rates increasing from 9% in 2019 to 17% in 2060 (OECD). But of course this is far from enough…

Plastics had revolutionised our daily life, no one will say differently. However, we also need to unite forces, to make the right choices and to seek for similarly minded partners who are determined to bring long-term reliable and innovative ideas to the table. 

Reliable, Circular, Customised: join us to the PlastiLoop Revolution, now!