Across the globe different methods for recycling collection are in place. In Norway where the plastic recycling rate is 97% - the highest in the world - residents are charged a small fee on plastic bottles sold. They can get this money back by depositing the used bottle in a collection bin that scans the bottle’s barcode and returns the fee previously collected or they can return it to participating shops and gas stations for cash or store credit.
But where do your used plastic bottles end up once you’ve deposited them in a collection bin or set them on the curb for your city’s weekly recycling pick-up?
The answer: with manufacturers like Freudenberg to be given new life.
At our site in Novedrate, Italy we recycle 7 million bottles per day for use in our manufacturing process. The bottles are sorted, cleaned and crushed into flakes that are then melted and spun into a continuous yarn. This material is used to develop textiles used as roof waterproofing, thermal and acoustic insulation. The materials produced consist of 100% recycled PET and are of the same quality as new products. Recycling saves natural resources and energy. Instead of polluting the earth, the PET bottles get a second life as industrial products.