Recycling at Indorama Ventures

A range of sustainable practices

The recycling of precious raw materials and waste products today plays an important role in a sustainable economy.

A sustainable recycling policy expresses our commitment to our environment. Indorama Ventures has a number of different and creative strategies that allow us to meet our commitment to the environment, while also ensuring we can continue to offer our customers products that in quality and performance need not fear comparison with products made from primary materials.

Protecting the environment while adding value to our company – this dual commitment forms the basis of Indorama Ventures sustainability policy.

Managing resources responsibly

Feedstock recycling of waste products

When polyester fibres and filaments are manufactured, the process inevitably results in some residual waste. But this residual waste is actually a precious resource that can be recycled for further use. To ensure that we work in a way that consumes the least possible resources, we aim to feed our residual waste back into the production process wherever possible. Our agglomeration plant in Bobingen takes the residual waste from our production sites and transforms it into serviceable raw materials. These recyclates are then deployed in our fibre and filament spinning mills to make new, high-quality products.

Conserving value

1A quality recycled products

When tow is manufactured as part of the fibre production process, a small proportion of the tow will generally be found to be unsuitable for conversion. This tow then has to be cut out of the overall product batch.  However, rather than selling this on as low-value waste, it is cut up, pressed into bales and then carded or combed by one of our partners before being turned into combed tops, a top-quality product.  We have been awarded GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certification for this process. As with converter tow from new raw materials, this recycled sliver is mostly employed in polyester-wool blends (55% PET, 45% wool) used primarily for corporate wear and uniforms.

Post-Consumer-Recycling

Our return and recycle strategy for Trevira CS fabrics

Indorama Ventures came up with an innovative recycling concept for Trevira CS textiles as long ago as 2013. These used textiles represent a valuable raw material, and thanks to our return and recycle strategy, they can be given a meaningful new lease of life. For example, they can be recycled to provide materials for insulation or soundproofing. These in turn can be used in acoustic panels for offices or conference venues, in the hotel and hospitality sectors and in public buildings.

We ensure that all links in the textile chain, from yarn manufacturers right up to the end user, are aware that we take back used Trevira CS textiles. For example, if you want to refurbish a hotel, you or your chosen contractor can send your old Trevira CS fabrics back to us. The fabrics are stored in our warehouses until we have collected the minimum quantity required to send them to an external recycling plant to be mechanically processed and recycled.

To ensure that we put our recycling strategy into practice in a sustainable way, we think about where our end consumers are based. Fabrics returned to us within Europe are collected for onwards recycling at our production site in Bobingen, southern Germany, while for textiles outside of Europe sensible local arrangements are available.

Learn more about Trevira CS recycling

Filament yarns from recycled PET bottles

Working together with Thailand-based parent company Indorama is opening up new opportunities for Indorama Ventures to supply recycled products. Indorama manufactures very high-quality recycled chips from PET bottles. Since only transparent PET bottles are used in Thailand, the flakes and chips are of a particularly good, very uniform quality. Indorama’s recycled chips, fibres and filaments carry the certificates GRS (Global Recycled Standard) and RCS-NL (Recycled Claim Standard). Indorama Ventures processes the regranulate made by Indorama from bottle flakes into filament yarns consisting of 100 % recycled material. The filament yarns are available in normal polyester in titres of 167 and 76 dtex. Alongside technical applications, they are used in the automotive industry and apparel. In addition, we are also planning and in some cases already delivering numerous exciting developments with the recyclates.