Recently, Avantium entered into a strategic partnership with Albert Heijn, a leading Dutch supermarket chain, with the aim of facilitating the transition of Heijn's proprietary products to more sustainable packaging solutions. Avantium, known for its expertise in sustainable chemistry, is now offering its innovative polyethylene furanoate (PEF) solutions as a key element in creating diverse packaging options for retailers.
Albert Heijn is one of the largest supermarket chains in the Netherlands and one of the oldest retailers in the country. The company was founded in 1887 and has become a household name in the Netherlands after nearly a century of development.
Characterized by its 100% vegetable content and cyclic polymer structure, PEF is a fully recyclable material. Its excellent barrier properties enable brands and businesses to extend the shelf life of beverages and food products.PEF's versatility makes it suitable for a wide range of applications, including the manufacture of bottles and a variety of packaging.
Avantium's commercial plant at PEF is currently in the final stages of launching operations. The commissioning of the plant will mark the start of the production of new juice bottles for Heijn utilizing PEF solutions. The manufacturing of such PEF-made bottles will be executed by Refresco, a global provider of beverage solutions for different brands and retailers.
Avantium is proud to claim that this initiative will see the launch of the first PEF-manufactured product in the supermarket chain's private label product range. Tom van Aken, CEO of Avantium, emphasized the importance of this partnership, saying, "Working with Albert Heijn, Avantium can further expand and extend the PEF value chain to meet the growing global demand for recycled and renewable material solutions. "
Avantium's PEF plant in Delfzijl, the Netherlands, has a design capacity of 5,000 tons of furandicarboxylic acid. This acid is an essential component of chemicals and plastics, including PEF. The expected date for the start of commercial production at the Delfzijl plant is the second half of 2024.
Heijn's CEO, Marit van Egmond, expressed the company's commitment to sustainability, saying, "By using PEF, we achieve our goal of making packaging more sustainable, and in addition to reducing, recycling and reusing, fossil-free materials are also part of our aspirations." The partnership follows a high-profile offtake agreement signed in August 2022, in which Ambev Brazil committed to purchase Avantium's recyclable PEF material for the production of soft drink bottles.
