03 September 2019

SUEZ acts to achieve the dream of a world without plastic waste!

The growing amount of plastic waste in the world is a unique problem of our time. How to recycle waste plastic into useful resources so that our future generations and our planet could live is crucial to our time.

On 27 August 2019, as a founding member of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW), a global non-profit organization that aims to end plastic waste in the environment, SUEZ co-organized the Alliance’s first-ever Southeast Asian event in Thailand with our partners SCG and Dow with the goal to seek sustainable solutions.

While our effort will be global, the Alliance can have the greatest impact by focusing on parts of the world where the challenge is greatest such as Southeast Asia region where more than half of the world’s plastic waste have been found, and by sharing solutions and best practices so that these efforts can be amplified and scaled-up around the world.

Antoine Grange , CEO of Recycling and Recovery of SUEZ Asia

The AEPW was founded in London in January 2019 and currently represents 40 companies that are headquartered in in North and South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Many of these companies have significant operations in Southeast Asia, including in Thailand. The Alliance has committed almost $1.0 billion in funds, with the goal of investing $1.5 billion over the next five years to develop solutions that will minimize and manage plastic waste and promote post-use solutions. The Alliance will focus much of its effort in Southeast Asia where the need is the greatest.

2 million

tons

plastic waste

50%

reduction in plastic waste

In Thailand, two million tons of plastic waste are produced per year and only a quarter of it is recycled. Thailand has been fully aware of this global challenge and is taking a proactive approach such as launching the Roadmap on Plastic Waste Management for 2018 – 2030. By the end of 2022, Thailand hopes to be free of plastic bags that are less than 36 microns thick, styrofoam food boxes, plastic straws as well as single-use plastic cups. The goal is to reduce Thailand’s plastic ocean waste at least by 50% by 2027.

As a leader in plastic recycling in Europe, SUEZ is fully committed to supporting Thailand’s goal of plastic reduction. Currently, SUEZ is constructing a plastic recycling plant in Thailand, which is the Group’s first in Asia. It will be a model for the rest of Southeast Asia. Located in the Bang Phli District near Bangkok, the plant is due to be completed in 2020 and will turn 30,000 tons of polyethylene film waste into new plastics.

On a global scale, SUEZ addresses the problem by processing nearly 400,000 tons of plastic waste per year in our specialist facilities in Europe, producing 150,000 tons of circular polymers. Our goal is to provide high-quality plastic polymers comparable to virgin plastic to our customers.

Steve Clark , CEO of SUEZ Asia

Plastic recycling is a key market for SUEZ. We deal with waste plastic every day and give it a new lease of life through collection, sorting, treatment and recycling. Our expertise and knowledge in the properties of plastics enable us to produce recycled plastics that satisfy the needs of the market and our customers.

Focus on R&D, from Europe to around the world

SUEZ created the PLAST’lab in Europe, a laboratory specialized in four resins. By adding different additives, we are able to create recycled plastic products that are more competitive than virgin materials, both in performance and price. We create plastics from plastics.

SUEZ partners Samsonite to produce the first suitcase collection made from recycled plastics

SUEZ set up a Quality Circular Polymers (QCP) plant located in Sittard-Geleen, the Netherlands, which is a polymer recycling plant that transforms used plastics into virgin replacement. The plant converts consumer waste into different grades of PP (polypropylene) and HDPE (high-density polyethylene). Such recycled plastic is comparable in appearance and quality to virgin materials. At present, the QCP plant is supplying recycled plastic to Samsonite for the creation of a new collection of travel cases that match virgin materials in terms of feel and performance.

Discover our solution (on our global website suez.com)

SUEZ and P&G join forces to create the first recyclable shampoo bottle made from plastic

In partnership with P&G, SUEZ provided Head & Shoulders with quality recycled polymers for its limited edition shampoo bottles in France. A result of joint R&D between SUEZ and P&G, this is the first shampoo bottle made of 25% recycled beach plastic. SUEZ supplies P&G with 2,600 tons of recycled plastic every year - the weight as eight fully loaded Boeing 747 jumbo jets.

Discover our solution (on our global website suez.com)

SUEZ works with TerraCycle to make beach mat from recycled plastic

Recently, SUEZ worked together with its partner TerraCycle to produce a beach mat that is made 100% from recycled plastic. It was born half of ocean plastic and half of the beach plastics. Each beach mat is made from 11 recycled plastic bottles.

Let’s continue to work together to achieve a world without plastic waste. Come and join us!