APK earns recognition for Newcycling process

Merseburg, Germany-based APK AG says it has received an innovation award at eREC, an event that bills itself as a “digital recycling expo and conference for circular economy and waste management.” The Germany-based organizers of the event held online sessions from August 31 to Sept. 5, 2020.

“We thank the eREC organizers very much for acknowledging the game-changing contribution APK’s Newcycling technology delivers to high-quality recycling of complex, flexible plastics packaging waste streams,” says Klaus Wohnig, CEO of APK.

APK has developed Newcycling as a solvent-based physical pretreatment step for plastic scrap, designed to purify polymers from additives or printing inks.

“Newcycling technology can easily separate different polymers in multilayer plastic packaging – up to now, deemed non-recyclable – and transforms the target polymer into re-granulates with close to virgin properties,” states APK.

“Burden shifting along the product life cycle to achieve recyclability is not a viable option,” says Wohnig. “We need to invest in innovative recycling technology, intertwined with the redesign of  products. Both of these developments need to go hand in hand if we are to make a circular economy for plastics packaging a reality in the coming decade.”