June 06, 2023
Kendal, June 6, 2023 - The ground-breaking event for PT ALBA Tridi Plastics Recycling Indonesia's new facility, a joint venture between ALBA Group Asia's majority shareholder and ALBA joint venture partner Dian Kurniawati, is a significant step forward towards realizing a near-zero plastic pollution target by 2040 .
ALBA will provide technological know-how and operational excellence as well as global sales and marketing capabilities for high quality recycled output. The new factory will be equipped with state-of-the-art equipment capable of processing PET drinking bottles and turning them into high quality rPET plastic flakes and food-grade rPET pellets. This advanced technology comes from leading equipment manufacturers in Asia and Europe which can produce around 36 thousand tons of recycled PET per year, including food-grade recycled PET.
This high quality material can be used to remake consumable PET bottles, both for the Indonesian market and for export, as food-grade rPET is in great demand by various consumer industries as an effort to increase sustainability to promote a circular economy. This new factory will be built in an area of 2.6 ha in the Kendal Industrial Park, Central Java.
Dr. Axel Schweitzer, Owner and Chairman of ALBA Group Asia, started the ground-breaking event with Dian Kurniawati, ALBA joint venture partner and founder of PT Tridi Oasis Group, as well as Vice-President for Private Sector Operations and Public-Private Partnership Asian Development Bank (ADB), Ashoka Lavas.
Dr. Schweitzer said, "At ALBA Group Asia, we have a vision of World Without Waste. Therefore, we expanded our operations to Indonesia and set up this recycling facility in Kendal, Central Java. With almost 8 million waste tons, Indonesia is the second largest contributor of marine plastic waste in the world. For this strategic project, ALBA used the expertise of Interzero, ALBA's sister company from Germany, in developing the concept, building and operating this plant to help Indonesia reduce the impact of plastic waste. We want to increase amount of plastic waste collection in Indonesia with creating a market. We believe in the positive social impact of this project because we are working with local traders and this will open up a lot of new jobs in the surrounding area."
Dian Kurniawati stated, "We all know that Indonesia's plastic pollution problem is everyone's problem, therefore we need a solution from all parties including the government, society, global companies, and financial institutions, through the collaboration of various stakeholders. We are very pleased to be able to work together with our joint venture partner, ALBA, who demonstrated gender lens investing (GUI) because this investment is not only aimed at solving the waste problem and creating economic value, but also empowering local MSMEs and women entrepreneurs like me to enhance the capabilities of companies. I believe this collaboration can be concrete evidence of how social and environmental issues can be overcome by strategic collaboration of various stakeholders."
With a total investment of around US$60 million, ALBA is working with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to build and operate the new plant according to the highest technical and social standards. "We see that global policies and society's push is getting stronger to increase the use of recycled plastic. ADB is very pleased to work with ALBA to support this important initiative and look forward to continuing to work together in the region in the future," said Ashok Lavasa.
To support a production capacity of 36 thousand tons, this factory requires around 48 thousand tons of PET bottle waste per year. These bottles will be collected from the Java region and beyond, and ALBA will actively work with local collectors and support them. The project will also create new job opportunities in the region for various technical and administrative positions recruited from local people.
ALBA is committed to protecting the surrounding environment through responsible resource management and environmental protection. The new plant is designed to minimize air emissions and integrate state-of-the-art water treatment processes to ensure safe discharge of water into the drainage system.
About ALBA Group Asia
ALBA has over 50 years of experience in Europe and over 20 years in Asia in the waste management and recycling industry. ALBA Group Asia is headquartered in Hong Kong SAR, and has operating facilities in China, Indonesia, and Singapore. With the vision of World Without Waste, ALBA focuses on four business areas namely, Smart City Solutions; Plastics Recycling, Green Gas & Green Fuel Technology; Hazardous Waste Recycling & Management. ALBA is known worldwide for its high quality smart recycling and waste management solutions and is a parent company with Interzero Europe.
About ADB
The Asian
Development Bank (ADB) is committed to realizing a prosperous, inclusive,
resilient and sustainable Asia and Pacific, while continuing efforts to
eradicate poverty. ADB assists its members and partners by providing loans,
technical assistance, grants, and equity investments to promote social and
economic development. Founded in 1966, ADB is owned by 68 countries- 49 from
the Asia Pacific region.