THE LOOP ON PLASTIC PACKAGING

AST. Group is investing heavily in its new circular packaging initiative CIPACKS. As a manufacturer of HDPE drums, the group is harmonising all its subsidiaries to help create a greener landscape in the packaging industry.

Senior Recycling Associate & Operations Manager Hauke Grabau, Manager of Sustainability & Quality Assurance at EuroMouldings Erwin Wevers and Operational Director of Cleaning Twente Harald Buitenhuis gave insights on the initiative. Report by Imogen Ward.

The AST. Group has invested in a crucial recycling programme that unites all i ts subsidiaries with one main objective: to improve the sustainability of its manufacturing processes and reduce its use of virgin plastic.

“CIPACKS enables customers from every AST company to return their used packaging to us,” said Senior Recycling Associate & Operations Manager Hauke Grabau. “Here in Germany, we have a fleet of 30 trucks that provide this quick and reliable service.”

The ABCs of AST

Founded in 1977, AST began producing HDPE canisters and containers. Now with over 250 blowing machines, and a network of strategic subsidiaries (including EuroMouldings and Cleaning Twente), AST is a market leader of plastic packaging. The acquisition of EuroMouldings occurred in 2017. “Purchasing our company really expanded AST’s capabilities,” said Manager of Sustainability & Quality Assurance at EuroMouldings Erwin Wevers. “We have blowing machines capable of making smaller bottles and more delicate parts. For example, our most popular bottle comes in sizes of 0.5L to 5L.”

In 2018, AST added another company to its portfolio. “Cleaning Twente was the first addition that wasn’t blowing new products,” said Operational Director of Cleaning Twente Harald Buitenhuis. “We were cleaning and reconditioning everything. This was AST’s first step into sustainability, making it a huge milestone.”

Circular packaging

CIPACKS is AST’s packaging deposit programme, which enables customers of all AST’s companies and others to send back their packaging for recycling or reconditioning. Unlike other companies, the AST Group will accept returns on packaging of all sizes, from its largest drums to its smallest bottles. The initiative manifested from a desire to improve CO 2 emissions, after noting that delivery trucks would come back empty to re-load and deliver to more companies. Through the implementation of CIPACKS, these trucks are never completing journeys with an empty cargo bed – making the process incredibly efficient.

AST takes recycling and reconditioning seriously. To ensure its products are recycled correctly, the group washes all packaging beforehand. Using a fully automated cleaning machine, canisters and drums are cleaned inside and out. During this process, all labels are removed, and the packaging is then dried thoroughly. The returned goods are then inspected and tested for any damage, at which point those that can be reconditioned are separated. AST also has a cleaning lane dedicated to food tanks, which is approved by EFTCO Food and carried out using drinking water and food-safe cleaning agents. The process is also completed in compliance with HACCP standards.

All UN-approved containers, by law, require testing every two-and-a-half years. AST is fully certified to carry out these tests. If a container is damaged, the group can perform plastic welding and stainless-steel repair work to lengthen the products’ life.

“One of our customers uses our jerry cans – which range from 10L to 60L – and our 220L drums,” Mr Grabau said. “They can buy new products from the market and return all their packaging back to us, at which point we wash them and recycle any that are damaged. We then go back to the customer to get approval for the reuse of the old packaging. We have successfully closed the loop with this partner, making a continuous packaging lifecycle. Nearly all of this customer’s packaging is reused.”

Shredding damaged canisters using stateof-the-art technology, AST also pro duces PIR and PCR plastic pellets. Thanks to the high-quality of the pellets, this material can then be used to make new products.

“CIPACKS is unique for the plastic industry; we really care about the whole process,” stated Mr Buitenhuis. “We focus on every piece of plastic, not just the larger products. We rely on a huge network to make CIPACKS possible. The network needs to be big to be viable; if we were collecting just two canisters, it would be completely unsustainable.”

Going green

Packaging is not the only thing reused at AST. The recycling of wastewater is highly encouraged, and Cleaning Twente has a wastewater treatment plant on-site to make this process easier. “We reuse as much as possible. Here in the Netherlands, we have restrictions on water usage,” said Mr Buitenhuis. “So, if we grow as a company, we are not able to increase our water usage. We really must be innovative with our water consumption. This goes for gas and electricity as well.”

With sustainability a focus within most industries, AST is promoting the importance of a greener carbon footprint. The group has been assessed by EcoVadis, the world’s largest provider of business sustainability ratings, and is part of the company’s huge network of trusted businesses. The four pillars of EcoVadis are Environment, Labour & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement. AST’s scores for each of these sections reassure customers of the company’s credibility. AST utilises machinery featuring threelayer technology to produce high quality packaging; as an added bonus, these newer machines are more efficient and have resulted in annual energy savings. “We have over 250 blow moulding machines, 60% of which have three-layer technology: this enables us to make products with a recycled layer in-between two virgin plastic layers,” Mr Grabau explained. “All our machines can make mono-layer products as well, and any waste is processed back into the manufacture of our packaging – our machines do this themselves.

“At the moment, we purchase ten machines per year that are compatible with the three-layer technology. We don’t invest in mono-layer machines anymore, because our investments are solely focused on saving energy, improving performance rates and closing the loop on recycled materials.”

As a unit, all AST subsidiaries hope to continue growing and improving their sustainability to create a more environmentally conscious plastic industry.

“We all cooperate nicely, and thanks to AST, we are always learning a lot,” Mr Wevers concluded. “The group is made up of a diverse range of people who bring valuable expertise and knowledge to AST. Our ultimate goal is to close the lifecycle loop for all our customers. The hard work and commitment of everyone under AST will really push us towards achieving that goal.” n