Key Takeaways
- Aduro Clean Technologies (Nasdaq: ADUR; TSX: ACT; FSE: 9D5) and ECOCE, A.C. have completed Phase 1 of their collaboration to recycle flexible plastic packaging in Mexico and are moving into lab-scale testing.
- The project uses Aduro's Hydrochemolytic™ Technology (HCT) to convert selected post-consumer flexible plastic packaging into liquid hydrocarbon products for circular plastics applications.
- ECOCE estimates Mexico generates about 1.5 million tonnes of flexible plastic packaging annually, much of it difficult to recycle through mechanical methods.
- Mapped material streams include flexible polyethylene and polypropylene packaging and multilayer formats such as snack wrappers, bread bags and pet food packaging.
- Successful lab-scale results could advance the collaboration to Phase 3 testing on Aduro's Next Generation Process Pilot Plant for scale-up and commercial evaluation.
Aduro Clean Technologies and ECOCE Move to Testing Phase
Aduro Clean Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: ADUR; TSX: ACT; FSE: 9D5), which converts feedstocks such as waste plastics, heavy bitumen and renewable oils into new resources, said its collaboration with ECOCE, A.C. has moved into its next phase after completing Phase 1 feedstock mapping and stream selection. Selected post-consumer flexible plastic packaging streams collected in Mexico are now entering a Hydrochemolytic™ Technology (HCT) test campaign to evaluate their conversion into liquid hydrocarbon products for circular plastics applications.
The collaboration, announced in December 2025, evaluates flexible plastic packaging collected through recovery systems in Mexico. Phase 1 drew on ECOCE's national feedstock mapping program, through which the parties selected candidate material streams based on availability, collection routes, physical form and contamination profile.
Why Flexible Plastic Packaging Is Hard to Recycle
Flexible plastic packaging, a mix of polyethylene, polypropylene, multilayer formats, inks and adhesives, is among the hardest materials for existing recycling systems to handle. Mechanical recycling remains the preferred route where viable; the collaboration is testing whether HCT can recover hydrocarbon value from streams not suited to it. ECOCE estimates Mexico generates roughly 1.5 million tonnes of flexible plastic packaging each year.
What Phase 1 Mapped in Mexico
Materials mapped through Phase 1 include flexible polypropylene and polyethylene packaging and multilayer formats such as snack wrappers, bread bags, pet food packaging and resealable pouches. ECOCE works with food and beverage companies representing more than 400 brands. Aduro will now run lab-scale evaluations of processability, yield, residues and contaminant behavior, with ECOCE's Adrián Velasco visiting Aduro's facilities to review the testing pathway. Successful results could advance the work to Phase 3 testing on Aduro's Next Generation Process Pilot Plant.
Aduro Clean Technologies and ECOCE Leaders on Next Steps
“Phase 1 has moved this collaboration from a market opportunity into a defined technical feedstock program,” said Ofer Vicus, CEO of Aduro. “ECOCE brings practical insight into how flexible packaging moves through Mexican recovery systems, helping us select representative material streams for HCT testing.”
“Flexible plastic packaging is one of the most important material-management challenges in Mexico,” said Adrián Velasco, Director of Flexible Plastic Packaging at ECOCE. “Through this collaboration, ECOCE is helping connect real recovery-system data with the technical work needed to evaluate circular solutions for these materials.”
