July 15, 2026 14:16

Aliplast (Hera Group) is making a further investment in plastics recycling, this time in Poland, where its subsidiary Aliplast Polska has signed a binding agreement to acquire a 70% stake in Kronos Polymer Polska. The new company will be created through the spin-off of assets currently owned by Kronos Polymer, a Polish operator active in polyethylene recycling and processing.

Under the agreement, Kronos Polymer Polska will take ownership of a plant for sorting, grinding and washing low-density polyethylene (LDPE) waste, with an installed production capacity of 12,000 tonnes per year. The plant forms part of an industrial site opened in 2023 in Gniew, Pomerania.

Aliplast Polska already operates a facility in Tuszyn, 300 kilometres from the plant covered by the agreement, specialising in the collection, sorting and volume reduction of plastic waste sourced from across Poland.

“This transaction will enable us to further expand Aliplast’s production capacity, in line with the Hera Group’s strategy, which sees resource regeneration as a fundamental pillar,” commented Michele Petrone, CEO of Aliplast (centre, pictured). “The launch of the process that will lead to the acquisition of the majority stake in the newco Kronos Polymer Polska is also in line with the parent company’s Business Plan, which provides for continued growth in the waste services value chain by expanding the reference markets. Strengthening our presence in Poland, where Aliplast’s branch has been operating for some time, will in fact allow us to intercept the promising growth in demand for recycled plastic in this country.”

The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of 2026 and forms part of a strategy to double Aliplast’s recycling capacity, eventually taking it above 210,000 tonnes per year.

The plan also includes two investments in Italy: the construction of a new rigid plastics recycling plant in Modena, with a treatment capacity of up to 30,000 tonnes per year, and the expansion of the Borgolavezzaro site in the province of Novara. At Borgolavezzaro, a new LDPE recycling line is expected to come on stream in autumn 2026, adding 25,000 tonnes per year of capacity.

Once the investments currently under way are completed, Aliplast’s total capacity is expected to reach approximately 170,000 tonnes per year by the first quarter of 2027.

Pictured: Michele Petrone, CEO of Aliplast, centre, with the founders of Kronos Polymer and Aliplast Purchasing Director Roberto Rupolo, first from right.

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