Chemco Group receives FSSAI authorization for food-grade rPET from US$15M Sanand recycling facility

INDIA – Chemco Group has received FSSAI authorization to manufacture food-grade recycled PET resin for food-contact applications, following the commissioning of its INR 125 crore (approximately US$15.0 million) Sanand facility.

The facility is designed to recycle more than one billion post-consumer PET bottles annually into food-grade rPET resin for food and beverage packaging applications. 

It operates a Starlinger bottle-to-bottle recycling system and holds FSSC 22000 certification.

The facility has been developed to meet requirements under the Food Safety & Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018, along with applicable BIS requirements for recycled PET materials. 

The facility operates under recycling process frameworks recognized by the US FDA and the European Food Safety Authority for food-contact recycled PET applications. 

Under the Packaging Regulations, manufacturers seeking authorization for food-contact applications are required to demonstrate traceability, process control, testing, and compliance measures to verify material safety and suitability.

The Regulatory Context for rPET in India

Mandatory recycled-content obligations under the Plastic Waste Management Rules have been tightening progressively. 

For Category I rigid plastic packaging, including PET bottles and containers, minimum recycled-content requirements have been set at 40 percent for FY 2026-27, 50 percent for FY 2027-28, and 60 percent from FY 2028-29 onwards. 

These requirements are expected to increase demand for domestically available, compliant food-grade recycled materials, particularly for beverage, food, and FMCG packaging. Chemco’s authorization places it among a select group of companies in India authorized to produce food-grade rPET resin for direct food-contact packaging.

The Bottle-to-Bottle Technology

The Starlinger bottle-to-bottle recycling system uses a multi-step process: PET bottles are shredded into flakes, washed to remove labels, adhesives, and contaminants, extruded into pellets, and then subjected to solid-state polycondensation (SSP) to increase molecular weight. 

The resulting rPET resin must meet the same food-contact safety standards as virgin PET, including limits on acetaldehyde (which affects taste) and antimony (a catalyst residue). 

The Sanand facility’s integrated platform combines food-grade rPET resin production with downstream packaging capabilities within the group, offering traceability, supply-chain reliability, and quality consistency.

Market Implications for Brand Owners

For beverage and food companies operating in India, the tightening recycled-content mandates create a compliance deadline. 

A brand that sells PET bottled water in India will need to source rPET for 40 percent of its packaging by FY 2026-27. Without domestic rPET suppliers such as Chemco, brand owners would have to import rPET or use book-and-claim systems, which carry supply risk and price uncertainty. 

Vaibhav Saraogi, director of Chemco Group, stated that receiving FSSAI authorization for food-grade rPET is an important milestone not only for Chemco but also for the broader development of circular packaging infrastructure in India.

Subscribe to our email newsletters that provide busy executives like you with the latest news insights and trends from Africa and the World. SUBSCRIBE HERE