Reichmuth Infrastructure funds PET recycling plant in the UK to accelerate food pack circularity

Reichmuth Infrastructure has invested in the construction of a PET recycling plant in Ellesmere Port, UK. In collaboration with Enviroo, a specialist in PET recycling, the facility aims to produce PET granulate that can be used in direct food contact packaging, combined with virgin PET, or the creation of independent bottles.

Construction of the facility is set to start in Q2 2025, with production of recycled PET scheduled to begin at the end of 2026.

Reichmuth Infrastructure, part of Switzerland-based bank Reichmuth & Co., invests in clean infrastructure projects in Europe, specifically in energy, transportation, and the circular economy.

Stefan Hasenböhler, head of Reichmuth Infrastructure, says: “The recycling of PET bottles is an excellent example of our investment approach in sustainable infrastructure. The investment combines stable long-term returns with the support of sustainability goals, fits perfectly into our Article Nine fund, and complements our exposure to battery storage, solar projects, and clean logistics solutions.” 

Reichmuth Infrastructure’s financial backing is said to be in accordance with the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) Article Nine. The SFDR standardizes metrics for assessing investments’ environmental, social, and governance impacts.

The recycled PET granulate can be used for food contact packaging.The plant will be located in the Plastic Park, an energy and resource management hub in Cheshire, UK. Protos, an environmental initiative that brings together technologies in energy and resource management, developed the park. 

Reichmuth Infrastructure’s PET recycling plant will be constructed in collaboration with Peel NRE, which reuses and repurposes natural resources.    

Recycled PET innovation 

Recycler Enviroo provides Reichmuth Infrastructure with technical input on PET recycling. The company has identified a process that separates PET plastic from other types of waste through a washing and extrusion process. 

Enviroo’s founder and CEO, Ahmed Detta, says: “We are excited to partner with Reichmuth Infrastructure, who shares our vision for a truly circular, closed-loop solution to the UK’s plastic waste challenge.”

“Together, we look forward to the plant’s operation, contributing to the country’s ambition recycling targets, and making a meaningful impact in reducing plastic waste.”

Recycled PET innovations are increasingly spurring the transition to a circular economy. Improved recycling processes and producing high-quality materials suitable for food packaging and bottle-to-bottle reuse offer environmentally conscious consumers more appropriate solutions. 

At the Plastics Recycling Show Europe (PRSE) 2025 in the Netherlands, Krones presented its plastic recycling solutions. Packaging Insights spoke to Nikolas Wolf, head of regional sales Europe at Krones, to discuss one of the company’s major sustainability initiatives regarding PET tray recycling. According to Wolf, the demand for effective PET tray recycling solutions is high: “We have now created our PET tray concept to fulfill customers’ requirements.”

UK recycling infrastructure boost

The UK has one of the highest per capita rates of plastic waste globally, with approximately 1.3 of 2.4 million tons of plastic packaging waste currently recycled, according to Reichmuth. 

Richard Barker, development director at Peel NRE, stresses the project’s importance within the UK’s broader recycling infrastructure. He says: “Enviroo’s arrival at Protos marks a major step toward making our ‘Plastic Parks’ vision a reality. By bringing recycling infrastructure to the UK, we’re creating a hub where plastic waste is transformed into valuable resources — supporting a circular economy.”

Recycler Enviroo provides Reichmuth Infrastructure with technical input on PET recycling. (Image Credit: Reichmuth & Co).The UK aims to recycle 75% of packaging materials by 2030. To help reach this target, the country recently enacted a pEPR scheme that makes businesses responsible for the costs of dealing with packaging waste. 

In January, the UK launched PackUK to manage its pEPR scheme. The scheme aims to shift the responsibility and cost of packaging waste management “from taxpayers and local authorities to those businesses who use and supply the packaging.”

We recently spoke to Richard Meehan, senior associate at Myerson Solicitors, about the impact of pEPR on local businesses. 

“Crucially, the ‘net’ of the new EPR regime has been cast wider and now captures a class of ‘small’ businesses who, due to their size and volume of packaging activity, fell outside the scope of the previous regime (with an annual turnover of £1 million (US$1.3 million) or more, or who supply or import more than 25 tons of packaging into the UK),” said Meehan.

The pEPR scheme replaces the 2007 Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations, demanding that businesses take more accountability for their products’ environmental impact.