Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) – Hong Kong's largest independent cargo handler – has become the first air cargo terminal in the world to introduce and adopt 100% closed-loop recycled plastic sheets for its cargo operations.

Since 2022, Hactl has been using plastic sheets made with 30–50% recycled material and has been steadily progressing toward a fully 100% recycled solution.

In partnership with the Nano and Advanced Materials Institute (NAMI), the two organisations have successfully developed 100% closed-loop recycled plastic sheets made from Hactl's own post-consumer plastic sheet waste — a potential scalable solution for the wider industry that is  being rolled out immediately.

Hactl said the successful implementation of the project will significantly reduce the use of virgin plastic and hopefully encourage other industry players to follow suit, helping to foster a culture where eco-friendly practices are the norm rather than the exception.

 (Source: Hactl)

"Our existing plastic sheets already contained 30-50% recycled material, but we wanted to accelerate our full transition to the circular economy and bring tangible benefits to industry and society at large, and the new 100% closed-loop recycled plastic sheets enable us to achieve that goal," said Amy Lam, chief sustainability officer of Hactl.

As a major air cargo handler in Hong Kong, Lam said Hactl is well‑positioned to influence the type of materialsused in wrapping aircraft pallets and to help drive significantly higher recycling rates across the industry.

"We believe there is huge scope to improve the air cargo industry's performance in this area. By incorporating a higher proportion of recycled content into our plastic sheets, we can achieve closed-loop recycling, significantly reduce the carbon footprint of our industry and keep thousands of tonnes of non‑biodegradable plastic out of our landfills," she added.