Amcor Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Australian-based technology pioneers Licella Holdings to invest in one of Australia’s first plastic advanced recycling facilities.
As one of the first advanced recycling facilities to be built in Australia, the agreement supports Amcor and Licella’s commitment to creating a local circular economy for soft plastics in Australia and helps advance Amcor’s target to achieve 30 per cent recycled content across its portfolio by 2030.
Located in Melbourne, stage one of the proposed facility is expected to process 20,000 tons per annum of waste plastic utilising Licella’s pioneering Cat-HTR technology, relying on collections activities to divert soft plastic waste from landfill or incineration. This project stage has already received approval from the Victorian Environmental Protection Agency.
Amcor ANZ and Licella previously collaborated on Licella’s Feasibility Study, which validated a local supply chain for food-grade recycled soft plastic and demonstrated the proposed facility’s critical economic and environmental benefits.
Both parties will be undertaking further discussions on final terms and arrangements, subject to respective internal approvals.
Mike Cash, president of Amcor Flexibles Asia Pacific, said: “Amcor is proud to be part of the solution, supporting the development of new technologies and creating a local circular economy for soft plastics in Australia. We are proud to be able to help deliver a local supply of food-grade recycled content that can enable more customers to participate in a circular economy.”
Dr Len Humphreys, chief executive officer of Licella Holdings, added: “Licella and Amcor share a vision for a more sustainable future for plastic. We are delighted to partner with Amcor as we develop our first Australian advanced recycling facility, with our Cat-HTR technology that enables soft plastic to be repeatedly recycled into food-grade post-consumer recycled content, which is rapidly increasing in demand both locally and globally.”
