Japan based Circular Pet Co., Ltd. launches new plant to recycle bottles with labels, lids and liquids

Circular Pet Co., Ltd., a joint venture formed by Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Veolia Japan K.K., and Seven & i Holdings Co., Ltd., has announced the completion of its new Tsuyama Plant in Okayama Prefecture. The company, founded in April 2020, aims to enhance the recycling and reuse of PET bottles, a significant component of Japan’s plastic waste stream.

Usually its difficult to recycle PET bottles that still have caps, labels or leftover liquids, but this new Tsuyama Plant will be able to recycle such bottles too. The plant will convert these materials into recycled PET resin, which will serve as raw material for the production of new food grade PET bottles. With an annual production capacity of approximately 25,000 tons, the plant’s output is estimated to be sufficient to produce around 1 billion new PET bottles each year.

Circular Pet’s model supports the circular economy by converting collected used PET bottles into new materials, reducing environmental impact by reusing resources instead of relying on virgin materials. With full-scale operations set to begin this spring, the plant will further promote sustainable practices. This plant will be another addition to Veolia’s network of over 40 Veolia plastic recycling plants spread across the world, called Plastiloop.

Also read: Circular supply chain | How Elima is transforming waste into resources