Japan-based recycling company Jeplan has signed a letter of intent (LoI) to jointly build a PET chemical recycling plant in the UAE in partnership with Rebound, a global trading platform for recycled plastic and a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi-based International Holding Company (IHC). 
 
The agreement was signed by Jeplan CEO & Co-Founder Masaki Takao and Rebound General Manager Maryam Al Mansoori, at the recent Make it in the Emirates Forum.
 
Rebound had last year launched the first global trading platform for quality-assured recycled plastics, Rebound Plastic Exchange (RPX).
 
As per the agreement, the duo will conduct joint studies on the project in stages, and Jeplan will be involved in quality surveys of used PET bottles collected in the UAE, verification of recycling costs, and verification of the plant's manufacturing operations.
 
Through the joint study, the duo will target partner companies in the UAE with the aim of establishing a supply chain for recycled PET in the country.
 
The leading Japanese recycling group will be involved in quality surveys of used PET bottles collected in the UAE, verification of recycling costs, and verification of the plant's manufacturing operations.
 
Both Jeplan and Rebound participated in this joint verification in the UAE in recognition of their more than 10 years of knowledge and proprietary technology in the recycling business, said a company spokesman.
 
The joint study is expected to culminate in a demonstration project for the construction of a PET chemical recycling plant closer to the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) to be held in Dubai in November this year.
 
The group's PET chemical recycling technology ‘BRING’ for PET bottles and polyester fibres enables used products to be recycled to the same quality as petroleum-derived products, he stated.
 
It achieves repeated resource recycling and contributes to the reduction of CO₂ emissions. The group operates PET chemical recycling commercial plants using this technology at two sites in Japan, he added.