Paardekooper acquires stake in CircularPET

Royal Dutch Paardekooper Group has acquired a stake in CircularPET, an organisation specialised in circular soft cup systems for public events. Paardekooper thus offers a sustainable solution for customers who are forced to think about their plastic use as a result of the SUP directive. From his current role, Tim Appeldoorn, sales manager Food Services, will join the board of CircularPET on behalf of Paardekooper and form part of the Management Team.

As of 1 January 2024, the SUP directive in the Netherlands will be extended to on-site consumption. From then on, it will be forbidden to provide disposable cups and meal containers containing plastic at festivals and events, unless proper collection of these products is ensured so that they can be recycled at a high level. Paardekooper's soft cup is made of 100% (r)PET and, in combination with CircularPET's circular collection system, is a future-proof solution that complies with the current and future Dutch SUP directive in relation to high-quality recycling.

A professional team supports the event organisation on site to ensure that the maximum number of cups can be recycled. The number of cups recycled is monitored and fed back. This way, the event organiser has an insight into the volume of cups that have been high-quality recycled. CircularPET ensures that this actually happens and processes these results in a certificate.

"Implementing this system is not easy, because you have to get the whole chain closed. You need know-how and effective logistics. CircularPET has specialised in this in recent years. In order to meet the expected demand, we need to expand our organisation considerably. With Paardekooper's accession, we can take a big step forward in further professionalising our organisation and perfecting our system. We are looking forward to a successful partnership," says Tjeerd Bijnsdorp, one of the founders of CircularPET and responsible for municipal public events.

For Paardekooper, the cooperation means a future-proof circular solution with which the packaging company can further increase its turnover and market share within the Food Services market segment. Lyanne Paardekooper, CMO of Royal Paardekooper Group; "As an organisation, we have the ambition to set the world of packaging in motion and offer our customers more sustainable alternatives. We have recently been working closely with CircularPET, for example for the Nijmegen Four Day Marches, one of the biggest events in the Netherlands. By joining forces, we can offer the event sector an effective circular solution. Only by working together can we reduce the problem of litter".