India has set a goal to reduce plastic waste and promote a circular economy. Comprehensive waste collection systems and recycling infrastructure will be in place by 2025 to increase the amount of recycled material in packaging. The Indian government is strengthening its Extended Producer Responsibility (ERP) regulations, with a particular focus on mandatory recycling quotas. Companies must ensure that a certain percentage of their packaging is made from recycled material. The quotas vary depending on the type of material and packaging and include both post-industrial and post-consumer waste. The recycling quotas are intended to increase the demand for recycled raw materials and strengthen the market for recyclates.
Ester Industries is a leading global manufacturer of polyester (PET) film, specialising in value-added and speciality products. Established in 1985, the company operates state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Khatima, Uttarakhand, and Hyderabad Telangana India, and is known for producing high quality Bopet film. Ester serves a global market with exports to over 85 countries and offers an extensive product portfolio.
Ester Industries is committed to sustainability, as demonstrated by its development of post-consumer recycled (PCR) PET film. The company continues to expand its operations with significant investments such as a new production facility in Telangana, India, to increase flexible packaging production capacity.
To further enhance its technological capabilities, Ester Industries has chosen to install a Gneuss Omni 200 recycling system at its new Hyderabad facility, enabling efficient processing of bottle flakes into food-grade pellets for use in Bopet film production. Gneuss, known for its advanced recycling technologies, is supplying this state-of-the-art system that processes 2,000 kg/h of bottle flakes collected from India and the surrounding regions. These bottle flakes are directly converted into food grade pellets without the need for pre-drying or crystallisation. The pellets produced by the Omni 200 Recycling System will be used in Ester's Bopet film production lines.
The Omni Recycling System consists of a 3C Rotary Feeder, which ensures constant feeding of the extruder for maximum process stability, even with fluctuating bulk densities. It also includes an MRS extruder, which is based on conventional single-screw technology but incorporates a multi-screw devolatilisation section. This design enables highly efficient and gentle decontamination of the polymer melt, ensuring that the material meets the stringent standards for direct food contact applications. The Omni Recycling System for Ester Industries uses an MRS 200 extruder that degasses the melt at an absolute pressure of 25 mbar, allowing the use of a robust water ring pump vacuum system.
A unique feature of this Omni 200 recycling system in Ester's new production hall is the dual filtration process, which allows fine filtration down to 16-20 µm. This quality is essential for the efficient processing into Bopet film. It is made possible by two RSFgenius filtration systems that provide maximum filtration quality with minimal material loss. These fully automatic filtration systems operate with integrated backflushing systems, providing self-cleaning without process interruptions or pressure fluctuations.
This Omni 200 recycling system is without pre drying which significantly reduces the amount of time the material is exposed to heat, allowing for more gentle processing. Another key factor is the advanced filtration technology, which enables fine filtration with exceptionally long screen life, even when processing post-consumer materials. In addition, the system offers both economic and environmental benefits, including significant energy savings and minimal material loss, making it a highly efficient and sustainable solution.
The new Omni recycling line is expected to be operational by mid to late 2025.
