In October 2023, Axens, in collaboration with IFPEN and JEPLAN, proudly announced the commercialization of the Rewind® PET process.

Source: Axens

This milestone follows the successful inauguration of a semi-industrial demonstration unit in Kitakyushu, Japan, and concludes a one-year test period that validated the technology's performance. The commercialization of Rewind® PET marks a significant advancement in the energy transition and the circular economy of plastics, aligning with Axens' and IFPEN's strategic goals.

Axens teams will now be able to market a complete Rewind® PET license package to their customers worldwide.

Rewind® PET is an innovative chemical recycling process designed to handle all types of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste, including those that are difficult to recycle mechanically. The process involves the continuous depolymerization of PET by glycolysis, followed by the purification of the resulting monomer, BHET (Bis(2-Hydroxyethyl) terephthalate). This method effectively separates additives and colorants, restoring a pure BHET monomer that can be re-polymerized into high-quality PET. The recycled PET produced from this process has already received approval from major food packaging and cosmetics companies, highlighting its potential for widespread market adoption.

This major milestone represents a significant opportunity for Axens to demonstrate its capacity to develop plastic recycling projects from concept to reality, leveraging its extensive experience. The commercialization of Rewind® PET is the result of Axens' expertise, developed through a comprehensive approach that includes strategy definition, project feasibility, technical assessment, financial and risk analysis, project management, modularization, construction, and seamless operation support. This approach ensures project success and addresses the challenges stakeholders face aiming to achieve circularity goals.

Combining Mechanical and Chemical Recycling: Enhancing Circularity in Plastics Waste Management

A real complementarity exists between mechanical and chemical recycling. Chemical recycling targets waste plastics that cannot be valorized through mechanical recycling into truly circular materials and/or process rejects from mechanical recycling. Additionally, leveraging the sorting know-how developed by mechanical recycling is essential to extract those difficult-to-recycle plastic waste streams and prepare them for chemical recycling. This synergy presents a great opportunity to develop complementary infrastructures with innovative sorting solutions for routing plastic waste.

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To learn more about this topic, join our dedicated presentation at Go Circular 2025 and visit our dedicated webpage for more information: https://www.axens.net/markets/plastic-recycling.