Taking the Next Step: New Recycling Facilities at Pipelife Sweden

Pipelife Sweden's factory in Ölsremma is now being partially rebuilt into a facility for handling and refining recycled PE/PP plastic, while the expansion of the company's factory in Ljung will allow for PVC recycling. The ambitious investments are part of Pipelife Sweden's work to meet its stringent sustainability goals and further minimize its CO2 footprint.

_{Introducing State-of-the-Art Recycling Technologies}

Pipelife focuses on the high quality and continuous development of its products but also genuinely cares about the environment and leaving as small a carbon footprint as possible. 

By investing in industry-leading recycling facilities for PE/PP mixing and PVC micronization, Pipelife Sweden expects an initial annual saving of 3,840 tons of CO2, with the potential to achieve even greater savings in the coming years.

_{PE/PP Compounding: Revolution in Plastics Recycling}

A crucial part of the sustainability-oriented investment is a PE/PP compounder in Ölsremma. The new compounder will allow plastic waste to be converted into a high-quality recyclate, with properties the closest possible to virgin material.

During compounding, PE or PP plastic flakes are melted together with additives, filtered, and pelletized, improving the material's physical, thermal or aesthetic properties. The end product — PE/PP pellets — is a high-quality recyclate that can be used in pipe manufacturing just like pellets from virgin material.

"The use of recycled materials is a complex process which in practice can be challenging. To ensure the premium quality of our products, we started with the manufacturing process of recycled materials itself. By using a tailor-made system, we can convert previously used plastics into high-grade raw materials and use them for pipe production," says Konstantinos Akritanakis, R&D International Project Manager at Pipelife.

_{High-Quality Raw Material from Recycled PVC}

Another part of the recycling process — micronization of PVC pipes that have reached the end of their service life — will take place at Pipelife Sweden's new factory in Ljung. The estimates show that in Sweden, ~5,000 tons of pipes are sent for incineration every year, while they could be recycled into new pipes.

During micronization, PVC is milled into very small particles that can be used to produce new pipes. The micronization system will be integrated into Pipelife Sweden's own scrap management system.

_{At the Forefront of Sustainable Piping Solutions}

The new recycling technologies used in Ölsremma and Ljung will reduce Pipelife Sweden's reliance on fossil-based raw materials, incorporating an even higher share of locally sourced, recycled plastics in production. 

Initially, the recycled raw materials will be used for Pipelife Sweden's own production. Over time, it is also planned to supply recyclates to other Pipelife companies.

The recent investments make Pipelife Sweden an industry leader in terms of sustainability, especially considering that PVC pipes have not been recycled in the country before. The testing of the new recycling equipment is to start already this autumn, and the facilities are expected to be in full operation in 2024. 

"Pipelife Sweden is leading the way in the industry taking responsibility and making a difference for the environment. Our ambition is to measure ourselves up to higher standards than the current industry requirements, laws and regulations entail," states Pär Näslund, Managing Director of Pipelife Sweden.