The facility is expected to open in March 2015 based at the company’s preform unit in Bidadi, India, a LEED certified green field plant.
Coca-Cola welcomes centre
Patrick Yadauga, senior VP, Supply Chain, Coca-Cola, attended the foundation stone laying ceremony of PRIC last week.
Apart from an R&D centre, PRIC will house an auditorium, museum, library and demo centre, accessible to the public and there will be an artificial lake with boats made from recycled plastics.
Vimal Kedia, managing director, Manjushree Technopack said it will be encouraging people to reuse and recycle PET plastic waste through various initiatives and activities at the centre.
“On average, about 60% of total plastic waste collected per day in India is recycled. However, 6,137 tonnes remains uncollected and littered,” he said.
“As we all work towards developing packaging that makes plastic more eco-friendly, we will be doing our bit to minimize the effect it has on the environment.”
Kedia added, given the expected doubling of per capita consumption of plastics in India, and an increasing number of industries choosing plastics as their preferred choice of packaging, it is important to step up the momentum on plastic recycling and reuse.
Several industry bodies
The company has partnered with several industry bodies including PACE (PET Packaging Association for Clean Environment) and All India Plastic Manufacturer’s Association (AIPMA) to drive research programmes at PRIC.
“The Plastics Recycling Innovation Centre, once inaugurated, will pave the way for exploration and research in reuse of PET plastic waste,” he said.
“PRIC will look at ways of reusing plastics and creating every day, low-cost utility items, given the convenience and versatility of the material.
“Leading FMCG players and other users of plastic packaging material will partner with Manjushree towards development of these products.”
Established in 1984, Manjushree manufacturers rigid plastic packaging including - PET, PP, multilayer-barrier containers and PET preforms that utilize European, Japanese and Canadian technologies.
Last year, it commissioned four Husky Systems for PET Preforms and four ASB blow-moulding machines to manufacture PET bottles for the beverage and bottled water industry.