India’s Reliance eyes more than doubling of PET recycling capacity

MUMBAI (ICIS)–Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) will more than double its polyethylene terephthalate (PET) recycling capacity by setting up a recycled polyester staple fiber (PSF) manufacturing facility in Andhra Pradesh.

“As a part of this endeavour, Srichakra Ecotex India will build and operate exclusively for RIL the new recycled PSF line in Andhra Pradesh,” the company said in a statement on 4 August.

Srichakra Ecotex produces recycled PSF and recycled hollow conjugate fibre, both of which are produced from post-consumer PET bottles. It is a subsidiary of Telangana-based Srichakra Polyplast, an end-to-end recycling and plastic waste management company that produces R-PET and recycled polyolefin granules.

The new plant will help RIL to more than double its recycling capacity to 5bn post-consumer PET bottles. RIL currently converts more than 2bn post-consumer PET bottles into fibres annually.

“RIL is committed to the development of the entire value chain and it shares expertise and technical knowhow with the entrepreneurs to produce top quality products at lowest possible costs,” said Vipul Shah, RIL’s chief operating officer for petrochemicals.

RIL currently recycles PET bottles at plants at Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh state, Hoshiarpur in Punjab state and Nagothane in Maharashtra state.