Alba Group to build $70 million recycling plant in Germany

Berlin-based Alba Group says it is building a new production plant for recyclables at Chemiepark Marl in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany.

The new plant is being built on a roughly 55,000-square-meter (13.5-acre) parcel of land in the south of the Chemiepark Marl (Marl Chemical Park). Alba Group says the plant will combine “state-of-the-art digital technology (Sorting 4.0) with the Alba Group’s almost 50 years of expertise.”

The new plant will process lightweight packaging from roughly 6.4 million people, meaning about 200,000 metric tons in total per year, the company says. At the end of the processing chain will be raw materials such as secondary plastic resins “with the highest level of purity that are made available to industry, [which can] replace raw materials from primary sources that are running low,” says the firm.

“With our new plant, we are not just a leader in terms of sorting technology in Germany and Europe, we are also well-equipped to achieve the high-volume requirements of the new Packaging Act in Germany,” says Axel Schweitzer, CEO of Alba Group. “With our investment we are clearly positioning ourselves for our German domestic market and a future of raw materials efficiency in Europe.”

“We are proud that we have been able to attract another internationally renowned company for our park with the Alba Group”, says Jörg Harren, site manager of Chemiepark Marl. “With this we are not just expanding the varied range that we offer, but we will also be a flagship project in terms of recycling and sustainability. This makes our location more attractive.”

The construction of the plant in Marl, which will begin in late 2017, has a projected cost of more than €60 million ($70 million) and will be completed in a four-shift system. The commissioning of the plant is planned for the beginning of 2019.

Chemiepark Marl is one of the largest chemical sites in Germany, covering an area of more than six square kilometers (1,480 acres). It is home to facilities operated by Evonik Industries AG, its subsidiaries, and its affiliates, plus 12 other companies. Some 100 production plants are linked in what the park’s operators call “a tightly integrated material and energy network.”

The Alba Group brands AlbA and Interseroh have about 7,500 employees operating in Germany, other parts of Europe and Asia. With annual sales of about €1.8 billion ($2.1 billion), Alba Group is one of the largest recycling and environmental services companies in the world.