Used plastic bags turned into 3,000 pallets with new AION deal with Aker Biomarine
Aker BioMarine, our premium member, is utilising their own plastic waste to fulfil the material need for other plastic products with AION.
The agreement, which is the largest in AION’s history, will help Aker BioMarine reduce both emissions and costs.
The new pallets (for use in freight) will be formed out of the large product bags left over from Aker BioMarine’s offshore production.
“With this agreement, we are creating a new value chain for our old product bags. Waste is lost value, and now we can insert our waste into a circular system on a much larger scale than ever before. This is the start of an exciting journey for both Aker BioMarine and AION, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration to promote a more sustainable and circular economy,” says Matts Johansen, CEO Aker BioMarine.
The agreement between Aker BioMarine and AION was signed in June and will take effect this autumn.
Reduced footprint
With this agreement Aker BioMarine is showcasing the perfect example of how to utilise their own plastic waste to fulfil the material need for other plastic products in their own value chain; a model saving both negative emissions as well as costs for the company, says Eirik Seljelid, CEO of AION.
A plastic pallet can be kept in circulation for approximately ten years before being melted down again to form new pallets. The pallets become part of a circular loop that means they are recycled and used in the production of new pallets at least 10 times. This results in a significantly lower emissions than single-use wooden pallets.
The core of AION
AION was established in 2020, formed out of Aker BioMarine’s own work on circularity of its plastic waste and biological production residues. Since then, Aker BioMarine has now moved over to the customer side.
Generating resources out of plastic waste and creating closed, traceable loops are at the core of AION, and we are extremely pleased for the opportunity to deliver circular solutions including products to Aker BioMarine, Seljelid says.
Closed traceable loops mean that there is full control over the materials going into the pallets and products throughout the entire life cycle. When the products are returned for recycling, the loop is ‘closed’ by reusing it in the same product. With the help of the company’s digital platform, AION LOOP, the materials recycling and production are tracked.
There is no one solution for creating a circular economy for plastic, so we need players like AKBM who dare to dig deep and develop their own closed loops to reduce their plastic footprint and take accountability for their role in a more resource effective future, says Dr. Susie Jahren, Chief Circular Product Officer at AION.
This agreement is the largest AION has entered thus far. It builds on the company’s previous experience, gained through pilot projects with Bremnes and Skretting, for example. Similar recycled pallets are currently being piloted and tested in freight between Houston and Montevideo.
About Aker BioMarine
Aker BioMarine is a biotech innovator and Antarctic krill-harvesting company, dedicated to improving human and planetary health. Listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange, we develop krill-based ingredients for nutraceutical (Superba®) animal feed (QRILL® Pet), and aquaculture( QRILL® Aqua), applications. We also develop INVI™, a highly concentrated protein isolate, and LYSOVETA™, a product area targeting brain health. As a global leader in marine phospholipids, Aker BioMarine’s fully transparent value chain starts with sustainable krill harvesting in pristine Antarctic waters before traveling through the company’s Montevideo based logistics hub and Houston based production plant, before product is shipped to customers around the world. The company’s strong focus on sustainability inspired the launch of AION by Aker BioMarine, a circularity company dedicated to helping companies to recycle and reuse waste.
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