A city loop collaborative recycling project

Challenge

In Hamburg, Veolia is taking part in an ambitious, collaborative project. Working with the consumer goods manufacturer Unilever, the Hamburg pharmacy chain BUDNI and the Hamburg University of Technology, Veolia produces high-quality detergent bottles made of 100% recycled plastic. At our Hamburg facility, the plastic waste is collected, sorted and processed into new detergent bottles. In this local loop, our role is to sort and process the plastic waste. The HDPE plastic packaging is sorted by colour, shredded, cleaned, processed and shaped into white and deodorised granules. This recyclate is ultimately used by Unilever to produce a detergent bottle made from 100% recycled plastic.

Veolia's solution

The material used in this project comes from the recycling bins in the city, creating a local loop of sustainability. This promotes the recycling and reuse of materials in Hamburg, supporting the city's progress to a more sustainable future. Thanks to this bespoke project, Unilever is able to sell detergent bottles locally made from 100% local recycled plastic, helping the company reach its environmental targets and improve its brand image.

In this collaboration, Veolia provides traceability, reliability and quality at all stages of the waste value chain, recycling local bottles into new. Our expert knowledge of the recycling process means that high standards are guaranteed, reassuring our partner organisations that they are working with a safe pair of hands.

Specific Benefits

• LOCAL LOOP
  Collection, sorting, recycling and transformation into finished goods in an area of a few hundreds kilometres wide, thus fostering circularity at the level of a region.
   
• Entire value chain
  Veolia and its partners work from collection to transformation and promote a robust, sustainable and traceable end of life of products.