CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Mechanical and chemical recycling Valgroup specialises in mechanical recycling but has also encouraged the development of chemical recycling. Chemical recycling involves transforming plastic waste by altering its chemical structure, producing substances that can serve as raw materials for making new plastics or other products. Various methods include pyrolysis, gasification, hydrocracking, and depolymerisation.
For Larissa, the two recycling techniques complement each other. With the rise of a circular economy for plastic packaging, having as many routes to reuse the materials can only be a good thing. Larissa believes the future of plastics recycling will be hybrid.
“ For us, chemical recycling is more specific to plastics that cannot be recycled mechanically,” she explains.“ For those who already have the mechanical process that way, they can count on it.
“ PET is totally mechanical recycling. Other rigid materials can also be used in mechanical recycling. But we have lots of flexible materials, like snack packaging, that we use in our databases and that need chemical recycling to be part of the circular loop. So, they completely piece together, going in the same direction.”
Recycling Brazilian coffee packaging In October 2025, Valgroup, along with American materials science company Dow and the Brazilian industry group Circular Movement, launched Brazil’ s first coffee packaging designed for recycling.
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