Go-Pak’s new 100% rPET Clarity Cups beat UK plastic tax, green RAM rating

UK – Go-Pak Group has launched Clarity, a collection of transparent cold drink cups made entirely from 100% recycled PET with no virgin plastic, receiving a green recyclability rating under the UK’s RAM and exceeding the 30% recycled content threshold for Plastic Packaging Tax exemption.

The range, aimed at cafés, foodservice businesses and grab-and-go outlets, is crack-resistant and suitable for bubble tea, desserts, iced coffees, juices, matcha drinks and smoothies. 

At end of life, the rPET cups can be collected, sorted and processed into material for new products where the appropriate recycling infrastructure is available. 

Green RAM Rating and Tax Benefits

The cups have been given a green rating under the UK’s Recyclability Assessment Methodology, which may help businesses cut Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility charges compared with packaging formats that are less recyclable. 

The products are above the 30% recycled-content level set under the UK Plastic Packaging Tax, potentially allowing eligible manufacturers and importers to avoid the tax applied to packaging with less than 30% recycled plastic. 

The Clarity range supports a more circular approach to packaging by demonstrating how plastic waste can be collected, processed and used to create another product. 

The green RAM rating is a significant differentiator in the UK market, where packaging producers are increasingly required to demonstrate recyclability performance to reduce their EPR obligations and avoid penalties.

Product Development and Market Positioning

Go-Pak product development manager Alexandra Forsyth-Nash stated that Clarity has been developed for businesses that want to reduce their use of virgin plastic while continuing to offer reliable, high-quality drinks packaging. 

She added that using 100% rPET gives procurement teams, sustainability leads and tender decision-makers a clear recycled-content claim while supporting a more circular approach to packaging. The cups are fully recyclable after use, containing no virgin plastic. 

Go-Pak Group is a UK-based food packaging producer supplying cafés, foodservice businesses and grab-and-go outlets across the country. 

The launch of the Clarity range comes as UK foodservice operators face increasing pressure to reduce their environmental footprint, with many major chains setting ambitious targets for eliminating virgin plastic from their packaging supply chains by 2030.

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