Aduro, ECOCE collaborate to advance flexible plastic packaging in Mexico

Aduro Clean Technologies Inc., London, Ontario, has entered a multiyear framework collaboration with ECOCE, a Mexican nonprofit environmental association, to evaluate Hydrochemolytic technology (HCT) as a potential chemical recycling solution for flexible and mixed plastic packaging in Mexico. 

ECOCE administers Mexico’s packaging management plan for postconsumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), aluminum and other materials on behalf of its member companies. Participating companies jointly organize and finance the collection and recycling of their postconsumer packaging. 

ECOCE says it's placing a greater emphasis on the circularity of flexible plastic packaging by creating valuable circular destinations for these materials. 

“Flexible plastic packaging is now one of the main priorities for our association and our member companies,” says Adrián Velasco, ECOCE director of flexible plastic packaging. “Much of this material is still considered problematic because it does not fit easily into existing systems. Our collaboration with Aduro is intended to jointly evaluate an additional chemical recycling route tailored to Mexican conditions.” 

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ECOCE and Aduro will evaluate the application of HCT on postconsumer flexible plastic packaging from Mexico, including multilayer and mixed structures, sourced through ECOCE’s postconsumer packaging collection and management systems.  

The collaboration states that ECOCE will identify, characterize and supply representative material and Aduro will conduct a structured program of Hydrochemolytic testing at its development facilities, from laboratory through pilot scale, to assess processability, yields, product quality and potential applications for the resulting liquid products. 

The collaboration is intended to address postconsumer flexible plastic being a challenging fraction in Mexico’s waste stream. Aduro says Mexico generates close to 60 kilograms of plastic waste per person each year, adding up to an estimated six to seven million metric tons of plastic waste annually.  

“ECOCE sits at the center of Mexico’s packaging value chain, along with international members that also have a global presence, and Aduro is focused on developing HCT as a new chemical recycling route for different applications and segments of the waste streams,” Aduro CEO Ofer Vicus says. “By working together with real Mexican waste, we aim to study and explore a clear, shared vision of where HCT can add value, how it might complement existing systems and what that could mean for future recycling solutions for ECOCE’s members and Mexico.” 

The companies say flexible plastic packaging is a large and fast-growing category, with recent estimates indicating around 1.5 million tons of this material are generated annually in Mexico, approximately 1.6 times the volume of PET beverage containers.  

Aduro says these materials often combine multiple polymers, layers, inks and adhesives in thin formats, meaning they rarely fit into existing collection and mechanical recycling systems, leading to a high proportion destined for incineration, landfill or leakage into the environment. 

In plastics applications, HCT is designed to convert mixed and contaminated waste streams, including multilayer and flexible plastic packaging that is difficult to manage mechanically, into liquid hydrocarbons suitable for use as petrochemical feedstocks.  

Based on the results generated under the collaboration, ECOCE and Aduro intend to study potential business models and routes that can create value for ECOCE’s associated members, waste collectors and downstream offtake partners.  

The companies say the findings are expected to guide future decisions on HCT-based recycling solutions that could be deployed in Mexico. 

The collaboration is expected to begin in January. At each stage, the companies will review the findings and determine the next steps to ensure progress toward potential HCT-based recycling solutions in Mexico, guided by data and aligned with the objectives of both organizations. 

Ahead of the formal start date, early activities are currently underway. Aduro will present its technology and project plan to ECOCE’s full membership Dec. 15 in Guadalajara. 

ECOCE leadership plans to visit Aduro’s development facilities in London, Ontario, in January, including a tour of a newly commissioned pilot plant that is expected to be instrumental in the collaboration.