From waste back into production: internal closed-loop solution at ALPLA
An ongoing project at ALPLA in Mansfield, England, demonstrates how technical innovation can transform in-house production waste into valuable raw materials while significantly reducing costs and environmental impact.
From incineration back into the loop
During the production of closures for milk and dairy packaging, defective or surplus caps are generated on a regular basis. A key challenge for their recyclability has been the aluminum or plastic foil integrated into the closures. Due to this composite material structure, the caps could not previously be recycled and had to be disposed of through incineration. In addition to the environmental burden of unused material, this also resulted in additional costs and operational effort for the respective site.
To fundamentally improve this situation, the team at the Mansfield site developed and installed a dedicated system that reliably separates the foil from defective and non-usable closures. Following separation and cleaning, the plastic material is granulated and reintroduced into the production process. In this way, a fully internal closed-loop recycling process has been established directly at the plant.
Measurable impact on environment and efficiency
Since its implementation at the beginning of 2024, over 30 tonnes of material have been returned to production. The waste rate as a percentage of the total amount of material used is 0.9%. This has led to substantial savings in disposal, waste transport, and raw material usage. At the same time, the demand for virgin material has been significantly reduced, and the volume of waste sent for incineration has decreased accordingly. The project thus combines ecological and economic benefits within an integrated approach and sustainably strengthens the site’s resource efficiency.
Scaling within the country
Building on the success of this concept, the next step is already planned: starting next year, closures from a second British ALPLA site will be integrated into the process. This will further expand the internal material loop and unlock additional significant savings potential.
The project exemplifies ALPLA’s commitment to consistently closing material loops and keeping valuable resources in the system for as long as possible. Through technical expertise, targeted process optimization, and a clear focus on sustainability, the UK site is making another concrete contribution to advancing the circular economy within the ALPLA Group.
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