ALPLA Sets Up New Recycling Company for Food-Safe Packaging in the Netherlands

The Austria based company’s pioneer project with NTCP receives Dutch grant to advance the circular solution

Photo: ALPLA and NTCP

The international Austria based packaging and recycling specialist ALPLA has kicked off a pilot project for recycling food-safe plastic packaging in the Netherlands. ALPLA has secured a grant from the Dutch government to set up a new recycling company to pioneer a food-grade HDPE recycling process. ALPLA is working on this future-proof solution in collaboration with the independent technological institute National Test Centre Circular Plastics (NTCP) in Heerenveen. The innovation project, which is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth, will run for four years. Just in time for the start of the PPWR 2030, the innovative solution will be scaled up to industrial production, ALPLA says. The funding from the Dutch government underscores the Netherland’s commitment to a circular economy and its ambitions to accelerate sustainable innovation in the chemicals ecosystem. Solutions are developing quickly in the Netherlands, including in the field of plastic recycling, thanks to collaboration between chemical companies, ambitious scale-ups, government bodies and research institutes.

Future-proof and affordable solution for plastic food packaging

From 2030, packaging in the EU must contain a minimum proportion of recycled material. ALPLA and NTCP are working on a future-proof and affordable solution for plastic food packaging. The patented recycling technology is expected to deliver food-safe HDPE recycled material (rHDPE) on an industrial scale for the first time. Following several years of R&D with successful laboratory results, the two project partners have just started evaluating the solvent-based process at the NTCP site in Heerenveen. Intensive testing of all process steps of the patented technology will be performed as part of a collaborative innovation project. The aim is to obtain approval from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in the near future. The construction and operation of the pilot plant will provide valuable insights for scaling up the process. ALPLA has set up its own recycling company in the Netherlands for this purpose.

Impactful advancement for a circular economy

“To date, there is no certified process in the EU for the production of food-grade HDPE recycled material. Our highly efficient technology for cleaning and processing post-consumer recycled material could be a real game changer,” explains Michael Heyde, Head of Technology Recycling Division at ALPLA. The company already produces PET and HDPE recycled material in its own recycling division at 14 locations worldwide, with 400 000 tonnes installed and projected recycling output capacity. ALPLA processes most of this material itself into packaging. The future industrialization of this innovative technology should enable readily available food packaging made from rHDPE for the FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) market.

Accelerating transformative new technology in the Netherlands

“This cooperation with ALPLA fits perfectly to the core activities and mission of NTCP as an independent knowledge institute, to facilitate and accelerate technology developments with frontrunner parties. We believe that new technologies are needed to completely close the plastics value chain while reducing the amount of waste,” emphasizes Martine Brandsma, NTCP’s CEO.

Support from the Invest in Holland network

ALPLA was assisted in its innovation project by the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) teams in Germany and The Hague, together with the Investment and Development Agency for the Northern Netherlands (NOM). Both organizations are members of the national Invest in Holland network which promotes and supports foreign direct investment to the Netherlands. Source: ALPLA

23 December 2025