Indorama teams up with Evertis to use recycled PET trays in food packaging films

EUROPE – Thailand-based packaging producer Indorama Ventures has inked a deal with Portuguese PET barrier films producer Evertis to use flake from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) trays to produce PET film suitable for food packaging trays.

After six years of research and development, Indorama Ventures is commercially producing recycled PET flakes from post-consumer trays in its Verdun facility in France.

The company explains that the quality is comparable to that of recycled PET flakes from post-consumer bottles.

The new tray-to-tray recycling workstream will increase the overall amount of recycled PET available in the market and has the potential to divert around 50 million post-consumer PET trays from landfill or incineration per year.

The collaboration is expected to move PET trays away from landfill or incineration to help achieve the EU’s recycling targets and develop a circular economy for PET trays.

Indorama said that the development supports a closed-loop economy for PET trays. It offers consumers more sustainable alternatives and helps packaging makers to achieve their recycled content goals.

Additionally, the development protects and preserves food to reduce the about 154 million tonnes of food waste, worth €143 billion (US$156.63bn), generated throughout the EU.

Evertis chief sustainability officer Marta Matos Gil said: “Indorama Ventures’ innovative recycling methods show how we can create a truly circular economy by developing infrastructure and capacity to collect, sort and recycle PET trays and transform them back into valuable raw material.

“This partnership helps Evertis to meet our sustainability goals and boost our product innovation in terms of circularity, recyclability, and eco-design.

“This is crucial in the current market, where our clients face new packaging regulations and consumers are concerned about the environmental impact of the products they buy. Evertis can meet both those needs.”

The deal is expected to aid Evertis in achieving the target of 50% post-consumer recycled content in products by 2025, the Thai chemical company said.

Indorama ESG council chairman Yash Lohia added: “We can support a circular economy by conducting rigorous testing at every stage of the process, from sorting and recycling to conversion, to ensure the highest quality.

“Our Deja sustainable ingredients brand, including rPET, supports the EU’s plastic collection and recycling targets.”

As the most recycled plastic in the world, PET is driving sustainable growth due to its recyclable, flexible, safe and lightweight properties.

This collaboration helps close the loop on PET tray-to-tray recycling, diverting PET from landfill or incineration and fostering more sustainable production towards a circular economy.

For all the latest packaging and printing industry news from Africa and the World, subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.