Hera Group's Aliplast Acquires 70% of Kronos Polymer Polska in Poland
Italy's Hera Group has agreed for its Polish unit Aliplast Polska to acquire 70% of Kronos Polymer Polska, part of a plan to raise recycled-plastics capacity above 210,000 tonnes a year. The deal, expected to close by end-2026, adds a 12,000-tonne polyethylene recycling plant in Gniew and comes as new EU packaging rules take effect in August 2026.
Hera Group Expands Recycling Footprint With Kronos Polymer Polska Deal
Italian multi-utility Hera Group has signed a binding agreement for its Polish subsidiary, Aliplast Polska, to acquire 70% of Kronos Polymer Polska, a new entity to be spun off from Kronos Polymer, an existing Polish polyethylene recycling and processing company, according to plastech.pl and pap.pl. Completion of the deal is expected by the end of 2026, subject to standard closing conditions, including the completion of the spin-off and the transfer of environmental permits.
Plant in Gniew Adds 12,000 Tonnes of Capacity
Kronos Polymer operates a newly built industrial plant in Gniew, in the Pomerania region, completed in late 2022 and operational since the first quarter of 2023, plastech.pl reported. The site is located roughly 300 kilometres from Aliplast Polska's existing branch in Tuszyn. The entity being acquired includes a complete polyethylene sorting, grinding and washing line with an installed capacity of 12,000 tonnes per year. Hera Group said the acquisition would let Aliplast grow gradually in the Polish market, run recycling and regeneration directly on site, and optimize material flows and logistics.
The move is part of a broader plan to raise Aliplast's total capacity to more than 210,000 tonnes per year of high-quality recycled plastic raw materials — roughly double its current level, according to Hera Group. The company linked the Polish acquisition to other ongoing projects, including a rigid-plastics recycling plant in Modena and a new PE-LD recycling plant in Borgolavezzaro, near Novara, describing the combination as reinforcing industrial synergies across the group. The plan is aligned with Hera Group's business strategy through 2029, under which Aliplast is also expanding production capacity in foreign markets, with growing emphasis on the quality and traceability of recycled material and on specialized competencies for the European market. The company pointed to its existing presence in France and Spain as part of this strategy.
EU Packaging Rules Add Urgency
Hera Group linked the expansion to the European Union's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which took effect in February 2025 and becomes mandatory across all EU member states from August 12, 2026. The regulation sets new EU-wide rules on the design, production and management of packaging waste, aimed at reducing environmental impact and supporting the circular economy. According to the company, this requires a review of the entire packaging supply chain, including from a structural standpoint.
- Aliplast Polska (Hera Group) to acquire 70% of Kronos Polymer Polska
- Gniew plant adds 12,000 tonnes/year of PE sorting, grinding and washing capacity
- Aliplast targets over 210,000 tonnes/year of recycled plastic raw materials
- Deal expected to close by end of 2026; PPWR becomes mandatory EU-wide on August 12, 2026
For Kronos Polymer, described by Hera Group as a company deeply rooted in Poland, the partnership with Aliplast is presented as an opportunity to further develop its industrial experience and know-how. Aliplast chief executive Michele Petrone said the transaction would allow the company to keep expanding production capacity in line with Hera Group's strategy, which treats resource regeneration as one of its core business pillars. He added that strengthening the group's presence in Poland, where Aliplast has operated for some time, would allow it to capture growing demand for recycled plastics in the country. The closing of the transaction remains subject to the fulfilment of formal and regulatory conditions.
