German manufacturer of PVC films and sheet Renolit (Worms; www.renolit.com) has set up a joint venture under the name KAS Kunststoffaufbereitung Bad Sobernheim with recycling firm Sobernheimer Rohstoff Kontor (SRK, Bad Sobernheim, Germany; www.srk-rohstoffe.de) for the marketing of PVC recyclate from production scrap. The long-standing business partners signed an agreement to this effect on 21 July 2022.

With the JV, in which both partners hold a 50% share, there is no intention at present to build any additional capacities. “However, the cooperation makes it possible to make better use of the existing capacities at SRK because Renolit will provide additional volumes for processing,” said a company spokesperson in response to a Plasteurope.com query. However, no details were given regarding specific quantities.

Recycling specialist SRK, which most recently posted sales of EUR 5 mn with a workforce of 22, recycles thermoplastic production scrap at its 30,000 m² site in Bad Sobernheim, and from this produces “many thousand tonnes” of regrind or agglomerate. Solid rods, pipes, sheets, films, powders, and chips can be processed, with PVC accounting for around 60% of the input volume, followed by polypropylene and polyethylene.

Renolit has been working since 2016 on the expansion of its internal recycling activities. The company voluntarily signed up to the recycling initiative Circular Plastics Alliance (see Plasteurope.com of 23.09.2019) to process and reuse all internal plastics scrap within the group by 2025. Since the beginning of 2022, the reclaim centre at its headquarters in Worms is being equipped with new plants and equipment.

Renolit primarily processes PVC into films and sheets, and also small quantities of PMMA and PET. The production volume in 2021 amounted to 263,000 t. With around 5,000 employees, it posted sales last year of EUR 1.28 bn.