RCS Group starts construction on new recycling centre

RCS Group has begun construction of a new plastics recycling facility in Werne, Germany, expanding its processing capacity and creating additional infrastructure for closed-loop material cycles.

The project represents an investment of approximately €75 million and will be developed on a 6.5-hectare site adjacent to the company’s existing operations. The new facility will operate independently under RCS Plastics and include production, logistics, administration, maintenance and service areas.

Facility targets 100,000 tonnes per year

Once fully operational, the site is expected to process around 100,000 tonnes of plastic material annually.

Feedstocks will include HDPE caps and closures, polystyrene, PET trays and PET beverage bottles, reflecting the company’s strategy of expanding beyond individual polymer streams and developing recyclates for a wider range of packaging and industrial applications.

Food-grade HDPE becomes a key development area

A particular focus of the project will be the production of high-quality recycled materials suitable for food packaging.

RCS Group identifies food-grade HDPE recyclate from caps and closures as one of the more technically demanding areas of plastics recycling. The company plans to invest in processing technologies capable of opening additional closed-loop applications for recovered HDPE.

PET recycling remains part of the portfolio

RCS already has experience producing food-contact recycled PET through its existing recycling operations in Werne.

The new site will expand this broader material strategy by combining PET bottle and tray recycling with HDPE and polystyrene processing, allowing the company to serve multiple markets with secondary polymers of different specifications.

Closed-loop applications drive investment

Demand for higher-quality recyclates is increasing as packaging producers face stronger recycled-content requirements and brand owners seek more reliable supplies of secondary raw materials.

Closed-loop recycling is particularly important for food and beverage packaging because recycled materials must meet demanding purity, traceability and food-contact requirements before they can return to similar applications.

Project creates new employment in Werne

The facility is expected to create around 60 new jobs as well as approximately five apprenticeship positions.

The project is being developed in cooperation with local authorities, regional government and construction partners, with the official groundbreaking taking place on 28 August 2026.

Completion planned for 2027 or 2028

Construction is scheduled to continue through 2027, with completion currently expected between the end of 2027 and early 2028.

Once operational, the site will significantly increase RCS Group’s plastics recycling capacity and strengthen its position in the German market for high-quality recycled polymers.

Recycling capacity becomes increasingly strategic

The investment reflects wider pressure across Europe to expand domestic recycling infrastructure as packaging regulation increases demand for recycled content and more packaging formats are expected to become recyclable at scale.

By targeting difficult streams such as food-grade HDPE alongside established PET recycling, RCS Group is positioning the new Werne facility around the next stage of circular packaging development, where material quality and end-use suitability are becoming as important as overall recycling volume.