The plant in Gaglianico near Turin has resumed operations after extensive conversion work.
According to the beverage group, it has invested more than 30 million euros in its own PET recycling facility at the original Gaglianico bottling site. The site had been closed in 2014 due to falling sales figures and production shifted to two other bottling plants in Italy. In the newly opened PET recycling plant, up to 30,000 tons of PET per year are to be recycled over an area of around 18,000 square meters. The recyclate obtained there is said to in turn be processed into preforms from which bottles for the Italian market will be manufactured. According to General Manager of Coca-Cola HBC Italy Frank O'Donnell, around 40 people will be employed in Gaglianico. According to EU regulations, which have also applied in Italy since January 14, 2022, PET bottles must contain at least 30 percent recycled PET by 2030. On January 1, 2023, the EU tax on certain single-use plastic products is also to be implemented in Italy. As a result, from then on, 0.45 euros per kilogram of primary plastic will have to be paid for the production of single-use products.