Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP), the world’s largest independent Coca-Cola bottler, has taken an important step on its journey towards 100% rPET for its plastic bottles by funding CuRe Technology.

CuRe Technology is a start-up, created and led by a consortium of world-leading recycling innovators and experts led by the Morssinkhof Group and the Cumapol/DuFor Group. It will initially apply its end-to-end partial depolymerisation recycling process, to shorten the polymer chains just enough to allow the removal of many impurities and to rejuvenate food grade PET to high quality rPET - and can be less energy intensive than full depolymerisation offering lower associated CO2 emissions.

CCEP invests in creation of circular economy for PET in Western Europe.

The funding from CCEP, through its innovation investment fund, CCEP Ventures, will enable CuRe to accelerate its ‘polyester rejuvenation’ technology from pilot plant to commercial readiness. Once the technology is commercialised, CCEP will receive the majority of the output from a CuRe-licensed, new-build plant.

CuRe has the potential to support CCEP, in partnership with The Coca-Cola Company in Western Europe, to eliminate virgin oil-based PET from its PET bottles within the next decade. This will contribute to removing of a total of over 200,000* tonnes of virgin oil-based PET from CCEP’s packaging portfolio a year and support the transition to a circular economy for PET packaging.

The CuRe funding from CCEP Ventures supports the scaling of ‘enhanced’ full depolymerisation recycling technologie, which could play a role in significantly increasing the supply of rPET whilst also accelerating the transition to a circular economy for PET bottles by reducing the reliance on virgin oil-based PET.

As part of their joint Sustainability Action Plan, This is Forward, Coca-Cola European Partners and Coca-Cola in Western Europe have pledged that by 2025, Coca-Cola will: collect a can or bottle for everyone it sells and ensure that all its packaging is 100% recyclable and by 2023 will: ensure that at least 50% of the content of its PET bottles will come from recycled content.

Joe Franses, Vice President, Sustainability at Coca-Cola European Partners said:  “CuRe is an exciting technology start-up with transformational potential developed by an experienced consortium, making it an ideal investment for CCEP Ventures.”

The CuRe Pilot Plant has been up and running.

The operation of the CuRe Pilot Plant MM in Emmen in The Netherlands has been started. The pilot plant has a capacity of 20 kg/hr in a continuous process. The CuRe Technology also allows modular add on other technologies, giving flexibility to choose the best route depending on the type of polyester waste.

Josse Kunst, Chief Commercial Officer at CuRe Technology said: “In the pilot plant phase of the CuRe process, we were supported with a subsidy from the European union and the three northern provinces of the Netherlands." And this year, the company will to test several waste streams and routes together with partners.

Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP), the world’s largest independent Coca-Cola bottler, has taken an important step on its journey towards 100% rPET for its plastic bottles by funding CuRe Technology.

CuRe Technology is a start-up, created and led by a consortium of world-leading recycling innovators and experts led by the Morssinkhof Group and the Cumapol/DuFor Group. It will initially apply its end-to-end partial depolymerisation recycling process, to shorten the polymer chains just enough to allow the removal of many impurities and to rejuvenate food grade PET to high quality rPET - and can be less energy intensive than full depolymerisation offering lower associated CO2 emissions.

CCEP invests in creation of circular economy for PET in Western Europe.

The funding from CCEP, through its innovation investment fund, CCEP Ventures, will enable CuRe to accelerate its ‘polyester rejuvenation’ technology from pilot plant to commercial readiness. Once the technology is commercialised, CCEP will receive the majority of the output from a CuRe-licensed, new-build plant.

CuRe has the potential to support CCEP, in partnership with The Coca-Cola Company in Western Europe, to eliminate virgin oil-based PET from its PET bottles within the next decade. This will contribute to removing of a total of over 200,000* tonnes of virgin oil-based PET from CCEP’s packaging portfolio a year and support the transition to a circular economy for PET packaging.

The CuRe funding from CCEP Ventures supports the scaling of ‘enhanced’ full depolymerisation recycling technologie, which could play a role in significantly increasing the supply of rPET whilst also accelerating the transition to a circular economy for PET bottles by reducing the reliance on virgin oil-based PET.

As part of their joint Sustainability Action Plan, This is Forward, Coca-Cola European Partners and Coca-Cola in Western Europe have pledged that by 2025, Coca-Cola will: collect a can or bottle for everyone it sells and ensure that all its packaging is 100% recyclable and by 2023 will: ensure that at least 50% of the content of its PET bottles will come from recycled content.

Joe Franses, Vice President, Sustainability at Coca-Cola European Partners said:  “CuRe is an exciting technology start-up with transformational potential developed by an experienced consortium, making it an ideal investment for CCEP Ventures.”

The CuRe Pilot Plant has been up and running.

The operation of the CuRe Pilot Plant MM in Emmen in The Netherlands has been started. The pilot plant has a capacity of 20 kg/hr in a continuous process. The CuRe Technology also allows modular add on other technologies, giving flexibility to choose the best route depending on the type of polyester waste.

Josse Kunst, Chief Commercial Officer at CuRe Technology said: “In the pilot plant phase of the CuRe process, we were supported with a subsidy from the European union and the three northern provinces of the Netherlands." And this year, the company will to test several waste streams and routes together with partners.