TOMRA and Plastretur join forces to build Norway's first dedicated plastic packaging sorting plant

TOMRA and Plastretur have formed a joint venture to establish Norway's first sorting plant dedicated to promoting the circularity of plastic packaging.

TOMRA, a global sustainable technology company, has acquired a majority ownership stake in Plastretur, the Norwegian organisation responsible for recycling plastic packaging. The joint venture, valued at 50 million EUR (~600MNOK), will be divided with TOMRA holding a 65 percent share and Plastretur holding a 35 percent share.

The collaboration aligns with TOMRA's strategic focus on developing profitable businesses alongside its core divisions, utilising its extensive knowledge and technology to address global environmental challenges. This investment specifically aims to address the growing demand for high-quality plastic fractions in the recycling industry.

The sorting plant will be the first of its kind in Norway, designed to handle separated and mechanically recovered mixed plastic waste sourced from municipalities. The plant will sort the plastics into seven distinct types, producing high-quality fractions that can be used to manufacture new packaging and other premium products. Plastretur will continue to collect plastic packaging waste from Norwegian municipalities, trade, and industry, delivering it to the plant. TOMRA will be responsible for grading the fractions by type and selling the resulting plastic output.

The planned capacity for the sorting site is 90,000 tons of plastics annually, and it will be situated in Holtskogen Næringspark, Indre Østfold Holtskogen, near Oslo, Norway. The investment primarily involves the acquisition of machinery and equipment. Groundbreaking is scheduled for mid-2023, with the plant set to commence operations in Q4 2024 and reach full operational capacity by Q1 2025.

Tove Andersen, TOMRA President and CEO, said: We must transform towards a circular economy now. That means working together across the value chain to find solutions as quickly as possible, because the solutions are there. This joint venture is proof that this is possible and TOMRA is proud to play a key role in it.

Plastretur initiated efforts to establish local sorting infrastructure in Norway in 2020, as plastic packaging waste from the country was previously sent to Central Europe. With TOMRA's expertise in designing advanced sorting facilities and creating circular solutions for recycling, Plastretur identified them as the ideal partner to support their vision for contributing to Norway's circular economy for plastics and achieving future recycling targets.