The Swedish group Essity inaugurated, on October 17, at its Hondouville site (Eure, about a hundred kilometers west of Paris) a new liquid food packaging recycling line which required an investment of €16 million. This inauguration is unprecedented since it is the first production line in the world 100% dedicated to the recycling of liquid food packagings for the production of paper hygiene products (toilet paper, hand towels and wiping products) for Away from Home (AFH) professionals.
The quantity recycled will increase by 40% to reach more than 25,000 t/year of recycled bricks. In total, the Hondouville factory recycles more than 60% of the liquid food packagings sorted, collected and recycled in France.
Beyond an increase in recycling capacity, this new line also allows Essity to recover and process more fibers contained in each brick for liquid foods packaging. This new process will allow the recycling of almost 100% of the material in a brick and improve the recovery of residues such as aluminum or plastic which are also contained in the bricks.
With the ambition of achieving its Net Zero objective by 2050, Essity is developing a constant approach to reusing materials and optimizing resources.
“The development of this unique process, which required years of R&D, confirms our position as leader in paper fiber recycling in France, explained Valéry Danjou, director of the Essity Hondouville site. Increasingly and better promoting liquid food packaging allows us to greatly participate in the efforts of local communities to reduce their waste and limit landfill or incineration.”
“Our Tork hygiene products have been manufactured in Hondouville from recycled materials for more than 15 years, added Eric Guazzaroni, director of the Tork* Professional Hygiene division. Whether from waste paper or liquid food packaging, our toilet paper, hand towels and other hygiene products are part of a circular loop limiting their environmental footprint while meeting the performance expectations of our professional customers.»
In total, the Hondouville site will have benefited from €47 million of investment over the last three years in order to increase its brick recycling capacity and develop the transformation of products into tubeless rolls. The report on this inauguration will be published in the next edition of the magazine “La Papeterie” (October/November). Not to miss…
Valérie Lechiffre
(*) With the Tork brand, the Hondouville site is the French leader in the manufacturing of paper hygiene products from waste paper, liquid food packaging and used paper hand towels for professionals (hotels, restaurants, hospitals, private and public establishments).
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