A Mexican producer responsibility organization and a Canadian recycling startup are partnering to research the use of multi-material flexible packaging as a potential feedstock for chemical recycling technologies.
Aduro Clean Technologies, based in London, Ontario and ECOCE signed a multi-year phased framework collaboration agreement to evaluate Aduro’s water-based Hydrochemolytic Technology (HCT) for recycling flexible and mixed-plastic packaging in Mexico.
Using the results generated under the collaboration, ECOCE and Aduro will study potential business models, including the possibility of facilities in Mexico owned and operated by Aduro, ECOCE members or licensees.
ECOCE will supply post-consumer flexible packaging feedstock for Aduro from its packaging material collection and management systems. Aduro will conduct trials to assess processability, yields, product quality and potential applications.
“Our vision is that waste plastic in Mexico will eventually be processed in Mexico,” Aduro CEO Ofer Vicus told Plastics Recycling Update. “We anticipate that some samples may end in our Ontario lab, but a commercial facility will process local feedstock. This will be the same case in Europe. Final product, however, will be shipped according to customer requirements.”
In late October, Aduro said its pilot plant in Ontario was nearing completion. The company also is conducting due diligence at a potential site in the Netherlands for a demo plant and expects to make a final site decision by the end of January 2026 and start up the plant in early 2027.
ECOCE administers Mexico’s producer responsibility scheme for post-consumer PET, HDPE, aluminum and other packaging materials and is sponsored by the country’s food and beverage industry. The PRO has deemed flexible and multi-layer packaging as a priority in its waste-reduction efforts.
Mexico produces an estimated 1.5 million metric tons of flexible packaging each year, according to Aduro, about 1.6 times the volume of PET beverage containers. Flexible packaging is difficult to recycle using mechanical methods, as it often consists of multiple layers of different materials.
“Much of this material is still considered ‘problematic’ because it does not fit easily into existing systems,” said Adrián Velasco, director of flexible plastic packaging at ECOCE. “Our collaboration with Aduro is intended to allow us to jointly evaluate an additional chemical recycling route tailored to Mexican conditions. Our objective is to generate the information and partnerships needed to transform flexible and multilayer packaging from a difficult waste stream into a resource that contributes to the circular economy, benefits local communities, and strengthens the commitments of the brands that support ECOCE.”
Earlier this year Eric Appelman, chief revenue officer at Aduro, told Plastics Recycling Update that the recycling technology results in a high yield with a relatively low cost, compared to pyrolysis methods. Appelman noted that accepting mixed recycling streams lowers operating costs, “because sorting costs money.”
Aduro targets lower-value feedstocks including some waste plastics, bitumen – used in asphalt – and renewable oils.
