Partnership Brings Advanced Recycling to Amcor’s Heanor Site

HEANOR, U.K., September 16, 2025 — In a milestone collaboration for the circular economy, Greenback Recycling Technologies has partnered with global packaging leader Amcor to deploy the first U.K. installation of its Enval® advanced recycling module. Located at Amcor’s Heanor, Derbyshire facility, the system will undergo a six-month commissioning and trial phase designed to test and refine its potential for large-scale application across Europe.

This marks the first time Greenback’s modular chemical recycling technology has been hosted by a global packaging producer on the continent. The initiative represents a significant step toward closing the loop on post-consumer flexible packaging—one of the most challenging materials in today’s recycling landscape.

Turning Flexible Packaging into Circular Value

The Enval module is engineered to process post-consumer flexible packaging, including complex multilaminate materials, which traditionally end up in landfills or incineration. Through a low-emission pyrolysis process, the system converts this waste into high-quality pyrolytic oil, a feedstock that can be used to produce food-grade recycled plastics.

By installing the modular unit directly within an industrial site, Amcor and Greenback aim to demonstrate how co-locating recycling technology can streamline the path from waste to resource. This approach minimizes transportation emissions, enables tighter process control, and opens up opportunities for on-site circularity within the packaging value chain.

The process will be monitored and verified through eco2Veritas™, Greenback’s proprietary traceability platform that leverages AI and IoT technologies to capture every stage of the recycling process—from waste receipt to oil production. Each batch of pyrolytic oil will carry a digital certificate of provenance, enabling end-to-end transparency and traceability within mass-balance accounting systems.

Scaling Circular Solutions Through Collaboration

Philippe von Stauffenberg, CEO of Greenback, highlighted the importance of collaboration in making advanced recycling commercially viable:

“This partnership demonstrates the power of collaboration in driving scalable circular solutions. Hosting this module at Amcor’s Heanor site will enable real-time feedback from global experts, as we refine our system for maximum impact before expanding further.”

For Greenback, the partnership provides a critical opportunity to validate its technology under operational conditions at a major industrial site. For Amcor, the trial aligns with its global sustainability targets and ongoing investments in responsible packaging solutions.

If the Heanor trials prove successful, Amcor has expressed interest in installing additional Greenback modules either at the same facility or across other European operations. Such a move could allow the company to offer a fully circular solution for flexible packaging, advancing its strategy to increase the use of recycled materials in packaging portfolios.

Amcor’s Circular Ambitions

Andrew Green, Vice President, Amcor Flexibles Europe, Middle East and Africa, said:

“We are excited to host this pioneering technology at our Heanor site. Combining Greenback’s innovation with Amcor’s operational experience enables us to improve circularity for soft plastics and help our customers make progress in achieving their own sustainability targets.”

Amcor has been steadily expanding its use of recycled and recyclable materials, aligning with its 2025 pledge for all packaging to be recyclable, reusable, or compostable. By working with Greenback, the company is deepening its engagement in advanced recycling technologies, which can recover materials that are often excluded from mechanical recycling streams due to contamination or mixed polymer content.

This collaboration places Amcor among a growing number of global packaging manufacturers exploring chemical recycling pathways to complement traditional recycling systems and boost recovery rates for flexible plastics.

Backed by the Alliance to End Plastic Waste

The Heanor module is financed by the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW), a global non-profit bringing together industry leaders to invest in scalable waste management and recycling infrastructure. The organisation’s involvement underscores the trial’s importance as part of a broader global effort to tackle the challenges of plastic waste through innovation and collaboration.

By combining AEPW’s financial support, Amcor’s industrial expertise, and Greenback’s technology, the partnership forms a multi-stakeholder model aimed at accelerating progress toward a circular plastics economy.

Towards Commercial Validation

The six-month trial at Heanor will evaluate both the technical performance and economic feasibility of integrating Greenback’s Enval modules within industrial sites. The pilot is expected to produce crucial insights into scaling advanced recycling in alignment with European circular economy goals, which increasingly emphasise traceability, mass balance, and verifiable recycled content.

If commercialised, this approach could represent a breakthrough for the recycling of flexible packaging waste, a segment that currently accounts for a significant share of unrecovered plastic in Europe.

Through this initiative, Greenback and Amcor are positioning themselves at the forefront of circular packaging innovation—demonstrating how technology, infrastructure, and partnership can converge to close the loop on one of the most persistent challenges in the packaging sector.