LyondellBasell Leading agricultural film recycler AFA Nord has agreed to form a 50 companies:50 joint venture aimed at recycling post-commercial flexible secondary packaging waste.The LMF joint venture, Nord GMBH, plans to build a mechanical recycling plant in northern Germany that will convert Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) and Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) waste into high-quality recycled plastic materials for flexible packaging

Production is expected to begin in early 2025

Secondary plastic packaging, such as stretch film or shrink wrap, is primarily used to hold packaged consumer goods together and protect them from contamination and damage during transportation and storage

Until today, this material has been difficult to recycle into high-quality raw materials that meet the packaging industry's requirements for end-product strength and clarity

Yvone van der Laan, Vice President, Recycling Low Carbon Solutions at LyondellBasell, said: "This joint venture will provide recycled LDPE and LLDPE materials and complement our existing CirculenRecover HDPE and polypropylene product lines

"Our commitment to advanced recycling is consistent with our strategy of investing in upstream integrated centers that provide raw materials for different plastics waste streams

This efficient turnkey solution will enable us to continue to be the partner of choice for our customers

"The new recycling facility is expected to produce 26,000 LDPE tons of recycled and LLDPE grades per year, which LyondellBasell will market through its Circulercover product line for a variety of applications from stretch film to finished shrink film

CirculenRecover The range currently includes a variety of mechanically recycled materials, from household appliances to laundry detergent bottles and travel bags

AFA Nord sister company TM Recycling GmbH is responsible for the supply of raw materials by LMF Nord GmbH

TM Recycling is also a member of the Mensing Group

"For many years we have operated the only agricultural film recycling plant in Germany and have extensive experience in the production of recycled materials." says Andreass Mensing, Managing Director of AFA Nord

With LyondellBasell, we can contribute to the circular economy by increasing the availability of recycling solutions for flexible packaging applications."