Amcor, Mondelēz International and Licella collaborate on Australian advanced recycling facility

14 Aug 2023 --- Amcor and Mondelēz International are investing in advanced recycling technology pioneer Licella to further the circular economy in Australia and contribute to net-zero plastic waste. With the investment, Licella will progress the construction of one of Australia’s first advanced recycling facilities.

Furthermore, Licella will employ its Catalytic Hydrothermal Reactor (Cat-HTR) technology to recycle end-of-life plastic back into a crude oil substitute suitable to produce new food-grade plastic packaging.

The new facility, named Advanced Recycling Victoria, is anticipated to initially process about 20,000 metric tons yearly of end-of-life plastic, with plans to scale up to 120,000 metric tons per year. 

Mondelēz International, with a portfolio of brands including Oreo, Cadbury Dairy Milk and Toblerone, details that through Amcor, it expects to have access to recycled content from this site to meet much of its Australian soft plastic packaging needs, significantly reducing its need for virgin plastic.

Amcor delivers several packaging solutions containing more sustainable materials, including recycled content, says Frank Lehmann, vice president of Corporate Venturing and Open Innovation at Amcor. 

“Amcor is continually seeking opportunities to invest in new technologies that will benefit our customers, consumers and the planet long-term. We recognize our products can play a vital role in the circular economy, and partnerships like this enhance our ability to deliver innovative solutions for our customers, like Mondelēz International,” states Lehmann.

Mike Cash, president of Amcor Flexibles Asia Pacific, adds: “Amcor will be able to meet increasing customer demand for recycled content in the region with this investment, as well as take another step closer to achieving our target of 30% recycled content across Amcor’s portfolio by 2030.”

Rendering of the Advanced Recycling Victoria facility.Australian recycling advances
Licella’s Cat-HTR is an advanced hydrothermal liquefaction technology that uses hot, pressurized water to recycle end-of-life plastic that would otherwise be sent to landfills.

CEO of Licella, Dr. Len Humphreys, says leadership from the industry is needed to help bring Australia closer to more sustainable plastic waste solutions that deliver economic and environmental benefits.

“This is the leading technology of its kind globally, developed here in Australia. The investment will help advance our Australian facility when demand for sustainable plastic solutions that also help provide food-grade recycled content is growing.”

Meanwhile, Mondelēz International details that through its “Light and Right” packaging strategy, the company aims to remove unnecessary packaging and simplify packaging materials across the business.

“While plastic plays an important part in the security, quality, protection and preservation of food products, there is a gap in sustainable local recycling solutions,” says Christine Montenegro McGrath, senior vice president and chief global impact and sustainability officer at Mondelēz International.

“Our packaging strategy is focused on using better packaging and helping to build better systems,” she continues. 

“This investment brings together multiple stakeholders in the supply chain to scale the infrastructure and technology needed to help create a more sustainable future for plastics and is part of our longer-term focus on working toward our goal of net-zero packaging waste by supporting circular economies.”

By Radhika Sikaria