ANDRITZ and HolyPoly Offer Recycling Solution for Paper Machine Clothing to Mills across Europe

International technology group ANDRITZ, one of the leading suppliers to the pulp and paper industry, has signed an exclusive cooperation agreement with the German recycling pioneer HolyPoly to provide a comprehensive recycling solution for used paper machine clothing to paper producers across Europe.

The new service enables mills to recycle all forming fabrics and felts at the end of their service life, contributing to a more circular economy.

Under this first-of-its-kind agreement, HolyPoly, a specialist in the recycling of post-consumer plastic waste, has been licensed by ANDRITZ to collect used paper machine clothing (PMC) from paper mills and recycle it.

Currently, a total of 7,000 tons of PMC is discarded from paper machines in Europe each year. Most of this waste is incinerated or, in some cases, landfilled. The new agreement between ANDRITZ and HolyPoly provides an immediate solution for the recycling of PMC and contributes to increasing the circularity of post-consumer waste in paper production.

We worked intensively with universities and plastics recycling experts to develop a suitable solution for recycling PMC. Once we had it, we needed an experienced partner to scale up the process and bring the concept to life. HolyPoly is the perfect fit for our concept. They have the necessary waste removal certifications, logistics networks, and know-how to bring used PMC into the circular economy.   

Jan Freudenberg, Director R&D Forming Fabrics, ANDRITZ

Niklas Bäumer, Project Owner Recycling Programmes, HolyPoly, said, “We are delighted to be working with ANDRITZ on PMC recycling and impressed by their commitment to providing customers with sustainable solutions. This is a pioneering joint project, with both companies dedicated to solving important challenges in the European paper industry’s circularity. With our new service, paper mills can be assured that their used PMC will be properly recycled, and their high-quality plastics will be used in new products.”

As part of the service, PMC from ANDRITZ and all other OEMs and manufacturers can be collected and recycled through HolyPoly’s extensive network of recycling operations and partners. HolyPoly is a young German company with a dedicated team of plastics recycling experts who recognize the significant value of discarded post-consumer waste. The company has extensive knowledge in waste collection, logistics and processes involved in the recycling and utilization of recycled plastics.

About ANDRITZ Group
International technology group ANDRITZ provides advanced plants, equipment, services and digital solutions for a wide range of industries, including pulp and paper, metals, hydropower, environmental and others. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in Austria, the publicly listed group employs about 30,000 people at 280 locations in over 80 countries.

As one of the global leaders in technology and innovation, ANDRITZ is committed to fostering progress that benefits customers, partners, employees, society and the environment. The company’s growth is driven by sustainable solutions enabling the green transition, advanced digitalisation for highest industrial performance and comprehensive services that maximise the value of customers’ plants over their entire life cycle. ANDRITZ. FOR GROWTH THAT MATTERS.

About ANDRITZ Pulp & Paper
ANDRITZ Pulp & Paper provides sustainable technology, automation and service solutions for the production of all types of pulp, paper, board and tissue. The technologies and services focus on increased production efficiency, lower overall operating costs as well as innovative decarbonisation strategies and autonomous plant operation.

The product portfolio also includes boilers for power generation, various nonwoven technologies and panelboard (MDF) production systems. With waste-to-value recycling, shredding and energy solutions, waste and by-product streams from production are converted into valuable secondary raw materials as well as into sustainable resources for energy generation. State-of-the-art IIoT technologies as part of Metris digitalisation solutions complete the comprehensive product offering.