German packaging manufacturer Südpack (Ochsenhausen; www.suedpack.com) has acquired further shares in Carboliq (Remscheid, Germany; www.carboliq.com), with effect from 2 January 2024, and now holds a majority stake in the Remscheid-based chemical recycling specialist. Südpack previously held 31% of the shares in Carboliq. The word from Ochsenhausen is that Südpack is now the only flexible film manufacturer with direct access to chemical reclaim capacities. 

The new majority shareholder has installed Dirk Hardow as managing director of Carboliq. Hardow manages the functional films and compounds business at Südpack. His responsibilities in this function include the development and implementation of closed-loop models.  

Carboliq employs a thermo-chemical process, also known as direct oiling. Südpack explains that this differs from other pyrolysis processes due to its flexibility in terms of input materials. Thanks to the high tolerance with regard to the starting materials, contaminated, mixed, or other plastics can also be oiled as polyolefins. This has advantages when it comes to the recycling of flexible packaging and complex multilayer films. At the same time, the process, which produces a secondary raw material like crude oil, takes place at a comparatively low temperature of less than 400°C.

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Initial pilot projects with customers have already been completed or are currently at the implementation stage. Carboliq’s current plant concept is designed for a capacity of around 10,000 t/y in continuous operation.

Südpack manufactures films and packaging for the food, non-food, and medical goods industries as well as bespoke compounds. Founded by Alfred Remmele in 1964, the company’s headquarters are located in Ochsenhausen. Südpack operates further production sites in Germany (Erlenmoos, Schwendi, and Erolzheim), the Netherlands (Grootegast), France (Coulmer), Poland (Klobuck), Switzerland (Bioggio), the US (Oak Creek, Wisconsin), and India (Ahmedabad, Gujarat).