A growing number of major firms are now using recycled plastics to produce goods, it has been revealed.
The amount of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a type of plastic used in drinks bottle production, used in Europe has grown markedly over the past decade, reports the Independent.
According to industry association Petcore, around 363,000 tonnes of PET was used in 2008, up from 144,000 tonnes in 2001, with many corporations driving demand.
The news will be welcomed by recycling equipment manufacturers, as more and more businesses will need machinery to process PET.
Nike is using 13 million plastic bottles (254,000kg of polyester waste) to make its new sportswear, while Coca Cola and Marks and Spencer also use PET in manufacturing.
Mike Neal, chairman of the Petcore technical committee, claimed the plastic can be used by a range of businesses.
He told the news provider: "There is always the opportunity for any industry to make use of recycled PET and other recycled plastics.
"Recycled PET has been widely used in the fibre industry for many years, since PET bottles were first produced in the late Seventies."
Typical Guttridge equipment used in the recycling industry includes: Elevators – bucket elevators – valves