Armacell to reach landmark of 1 billion recycled PET bottles this year

Armacell (Thimister, Luxembourg) recently announced that it will reach the landmark of recycling one billion PET bottles during the course of this year. Passing this milestone, the company says, is a reflection of the growth of its PET business, the substitution of legacy materials and the increasing adoption rates of recycled PET foam core products by customers from the wind, transportation and construction industries.

Armacell has been leading efforts intended to pave the way for PET foam cores in the composite industry since the launch of ArmaForm in 2006. Since then, Armacell has invested significantly in the research and development of PET foam core technology, resulting in the production of structural PET foam cores made from 100-percent post-consumer PET.

In 2010, Armacell launched the world’s first foam cores made from 100-percent recycled PET (r-PET). Today, the company says its entire PET foam product portfolio is based on this process technology. Armacell’s patented r-PET technology uses recycled PET bottles that are rejected for reuse by the PET recycling industry. Armacell converts waste material into a high-quality resource and feeds it back into the production cycle.

“With our PET foam production we are looking back on a pioneering 13-year history in the composites industry,” says Bart Janssen, Armacell’s VP of engineered foams. “Our portfolio includes many innovative solutions, such as our PET-based foil products and 3D-particle foams. A major breakthrough was the introduction of our r-PET process technology.”

“We are delighted to see other companies adopting and operating our r-PET technology,” adds Thomas Kessel, general manager of Armacell PET foams, about the granting of r-PET licenses. “This allows higher recycling rates and a cleaner environment for all of us at the same time increasing Armacell's contribution to a greener tomorrow.”