Ganesha Ecopet: Indian PET recycler increases bottle-to-bottle capacities - Two new Starlinger plants

The Starlinger “recoStar PET 165 HC iV+”-PET bottle-to-bottle recycling lines have an output of up to 1.800 kg/h each. The produced rPET has been approved for food-contact applications by various national and international authorities and brand owners – (Pictures: Starlinger).

The Indian PET recycling specialist Ganesha Ecopet is increasing its PET bottle-to-bottle recycling capacity to a total of 42,000 tonnes per year with two Starlinger systems. According to the machine manufacturer, the company aims to recycle 25 per cent of all used PET bottles in India by 2026.

The two new ‘recoStar PET 165 iV+’ recycling systems from Starlinger are installed at the recycling plant of Ganesha Ecopet Private Limited in Warangal, Telangana State. The company, a subsidiary of Indian PET recycling pioneer Ganesha Ecosphere Ltd, already produces recycled PET flakes and pellets for food packaging as well as filament yarns and fibres on two Starlinger lines installed in 2022. The new recycling plants have been in operation since mid-2024, tripling Ganesha Ecopet's annual production of bottle-grade rPET from 14,000 tonnes to a total of 42,000 tonnes.

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“Our goal is not only to recycle plastics, but to create premium-quality, sustainable and viable circular solutions for brands,” said Sharad Sharma, Managing Director at Ganesha Ecosphere. “Recycling is not just an environmentally responsible choice; it is a powerful way to reduce CO2 emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change. Starlinger’s superior food-grade PET recycling technology, combined with the operational expertise we have built up over the last 30 years on the Indian waste recycling market, enables us to push the boundaries of what is possible in PET recycling. Today, we proudly provide the best quality of recycled PET: like-to-like in properties with virgin PET, but with huge environmental savings in carbon emissions and energy. Various global FMCG brands like Coca-Cola have placed their trust in us to make their packaging circular while ensuring utmost safety and quality for the consumers.”

“Ganesha Ecosphere is one of the trailblazers for a circular plastics economy in India,” said Paul Niedl, Commercial Head of Starlinger recycling technology. “With their vast experience in the Indian plastics recycling sector and their willingness to invest in state-of-the-art technology they are able to transform post-consumer scrap into a high-quality secondary raw material for plastic packaging producers. As a technology developer and supplier, we are proud to support Ganesha Ecosphere on their way to ensure a clean, healthy and liveable future for our children.”

With a focus on sustainable production, Ganesha Ecopet is also said to have minimised process-related CO2 emissions by recycling and reusing 95% of the water used and increasing the use of renewable energy in plant operations. With a total production capacity of 42,000 tonnes of food-grade recycled post-consumer PET per year, the PET recycling company supplies the markets in India, the USA and Europe. Ganesha Ecopet sources used PET bottles through all possible channels: online, offline and from more than 300 suppliers and collectors across India.

Pioneer in PET recycling
Ganesha Ecosphere can look back on more than 30 years of experience in the PET recycling business. Founded in 1987, the company started as a yarn producer and in 1994 was one of the first companies in India to reuse PET waste to produce recycled polyester staple fibre (RPSF) and recycled polyester spun yarn (RPSY). Today, the group operates six production sites in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Telangana as well as in Nepal. In addition to rPET granules and flakes in bottle quality, Ganesha Ecosphere produces rPET staple fibres for yarns, nonwovens, flame-retardant fabrics and fibre fillings. The highest quality rPET products are manufactured by the subsidiary Ganesha Ecopet and marketed under the brand name ‘Go Rewise’. With over 2,700 employees and exports to more than 18 countries, Ganesha Ecosphere is one of the largest rPET producers in India and recycles 9.4 billion PET bottles per year.

More information:
ganeshaecosphere.com, gorewise.com, www.starlinger.com

Starlinger & Co. GmbH, Vienna, Austria

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