Austrian packaging manufacturer Alpla (Hard; www.alpla.com) has signed a joint venture agreement with liquid soap pump manufacturer Hana Innovation (Hwaseong, South Korea; www.hana-innovation.com) to produce pumps made from a mono-material with what the pair call “maximum recyclability”. The JV, called Alpla-Hana Asia Pacific, will be based in Hwaseong, South Korea.

Hana’s fully recyclable ECO Pump system is made of 100% polypropylene. It can also be manufactured from post-consumer recycled material.

Related: Alpla plans expansion of pharmaceutical packaging

Alpla began producing standard pumps for soap and shampoo dispensers in Hyderabad, India, in 2020, and said the potential for high-quality, recyclable pumps was “enormous”.

The two companies said they wanted to use the new joint venture to “push the worldwide distribution of the sustainable pumps with the revolutionary patented plastic spring technology and in addition offer complete systems including the bottle”. Financial details and other terms of the commercial arrangement were not disclosed.

Most recently reporting a turnover of EUR 5.1 bn, Alpla has sites in 45 countries, with a worldwide staff of around 23,300 producing packaging systems, bottles, caps and closures, and other injection-moulded parts. The group also has recycling facilities in Austria, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Spain, and Thailand.