Deluxe Recycling unveils multi-layered plastic recycling facility in Gujarat with backing from Circulate Capital

June 14, 2024 11:27 am

The opening of this facility will enable Deluxe Recycling to recycle more than 200,000 tons of UBCs and MLPs by FY2030 and promote employment opportunities in Gujarat.

Deluxe Recycling, a premier multi-layered plastic recycling company, is driving strategic expansion with the inauguration of a new recycling plant in Sarigam, Gujarat. The company, established in 1999, has been driving a unique approach to India’s waste management problem and has been at the forefront of innovating new technologies to recycle UBCs (used beverage cartons) and MLPs (multi-layer plastic), alleviating the pressure from overburdened landfills. With this new facility, Deluxe is set to more than double its recycling capacity—from 13,000 TPA to 27,400 TPA across 2 locations—cementing its position as one of South Asia’s largest MLP recyclers. By FY2030, the company aims to recycle more than 200,000 tonnes of UBCs and MLPs.

India alone generates about 9.4 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, of which only 50 percent is collected. Typically considered of no value and very difficult to recycle, MLP waste is one of the most polluting forms of plastic packaging and, if it is collected at all, is used for fuel, incineration, or co-processing at cement plants. Deluxe has developed a scalable ecosystem for the collection of MLP by working with and paying a network of aggregators and small material recovery facilities (MRF) to collect and sort MLP waste. The company then uses proprietary, in-house-developed technology to manufacture a variety of high-demand, heavy, rigid products.Deluxe currently supplies 90 percent of the recycled seat boards to the automotive industry, which means nearly every rickshaw driver sits on a Deluxe-recycled seat.

Funding from Circulate Capital, the leading circular economy investment management firm, which manages the largest recycling portfolio in Asia, fuelled the expansion of the venture. This capital infusion has been instrumental in establishing new facilities in Sarigam in Gujarat, and Bengaluru. The funding propelled changes like an increase in capacity from 13,000 MTPA to 27,400 MTPA in Sarigam and Bengaluru while gearing for the future target of 50,000 MTPA in the next 2.5 years. It is aiming at creating 150+ jobs in Gujarat.

Jignesh Shah, MD, Deluxe Recycling Pvt. Ltd., said, “Opening the largest MLP recycling plant in India is a pivotal step for us towards translating our vision into a reality, and we appreciate the continuous support from Circulate Capital. This facility marks a significant advancement for us towards developing sustainable solutions for the collection, management, and recycling of multi-layered plastic (MLP), driving impactful environmental progress in India. Our goal is to lead the way in building an innovative ecosystem to source MLP waste and give it a new life in high value applications.”

Rob Kaplan, Founder and CEO of Circulate Capital,said, “We believe that Deluxe Recycling’s innovative market-based solution that incentivizes the collection of typically hard-to-recycle MLPs will drive significant positive environmental and social outcomes, contributing to a circular economy for plastics in India. We are excited to see the transformative change this investment will bring over the coming years.”