SIBUR processes plastic waste in partnership with Indian companies
SIBUR, Russia’s largest producer of plastics and rubbers, is collaborating with Indian businesses to process plastic waste.
At the end of last year, EcoPartners, co-founded by the Indian entrepreneur Gaurav Sood, opened the largest plant in Russia for recycling plastic packaging waste. The plant has been gradually ramping up to its full capacity of 40 thousand tons per year.
Called Total Cycle, the plantis located in the Tver region, which is between Moscow and St Petersburg – two major Russian cities that produce a large volume of waste. Total Cycle processes plastic packaging waste into secondary raw materials, including PET flakes.
SIBUR supported the constructionof the plant and purchases PET flakes from Total Cycle. SIBUR uses these flakes toproduce green PET granules under its VivilenrPET brand, which contain up to 30% recycled plastic and serve as raw material for the production of eco-friendly packaging for goods and beverages. As a result of this initiative, up to 1.7 billion used plastic bottles are recycled every year instead of ending up in landfills.
Experts in the field say, that like India, Russia pays a great deal of attention to environmental protection. Last year, the Russian government mandated that plastic-packaging manufacturers would either have to recycle their packaging or pay a special environmental fee (the law came into force on January 1st this year). While India has banned single-use plastic, Russia is considering restrictions on certain goods made from difficult-to-recycle plastic.
