Packaging industry trade associations are encouraging their members to follow a new set of guidelines to ensure that PET bottles are compatible with recycling facilities.The Design for Recycling Guidelines is a set of criteria established by the European PET Bottle Platform which aims to improve the quality and economic viability of PET recycling, recommending 100% recyclability of PET.
The European Federation of Bottled Waters (EFBW) and the Union of Non- alcoholic Beverage Association (UNESDA) are actively encouraging their member companies to implement the guidlines.
In a joint statement, UNESDA and EFBW said that encouraging producers to meet the design for recycling guidelines was a “positive step” for the future of bottle to bottle recycling and resource efficiency.
According to UNESDA and EFBW, incompatible materials can adversely affect the PET recycling process. For instance, components of packaging design on PET bottles such as barriers, additives, full body sleeves and opaque colouring are leading to deterioration in the quality of recycled PET which is negatively impacting on closed loop bottle recycling.
One of the key recommendations of the new guidelines is that UNESDA and EFBW members review their respective PET bottle recommendations, and over the next two years solve issues of non-compatibility.
The associations have also said they want to encourage companies that design and produce innovative materials for application in PET bottles to use the same design for recyclability guidelines.
UNESDA and EFBW hope that their members will reach compliance with the EPBP guidelines by the end of 2012.
EFBW Environment Committee vice-chair Philippe Diercxsens said: “Our goal is to encourage members to consider the recycling of PET bottles at the very beginning of the planning process when developing new PET bottle designs.”
