RecyClass certifies Avantium’s PET/PEF bottle as recyclable in PET stream

NETHERLANDS – Avantium, a leading innovator in renewable and circular polymer materials, has announced that its advanced PET/PEF multilayer bottle has been officially ruled fully compatible with PET recycling systems, based on a review conducted by RecyClass, the Europe’s non-profit organization committed to promoting plastics circularity.

Avantium’s polyethylene furanoate (PEF), marketed under the name Releaf, is suitable for producing monolayer bottles made entirely from plant-based materials and offers enhanced performance when blended with PET (polyethylene terephthalate).

For instance, PEF can serve as a barrier layer in multilayer PET bottles when a single PET layer alone isn’t sufficient to ensure the necessary shelf life.

Currently, nylon is commonly used as a barrier layer in multilayer PET bottles; however, it poses challenges during recycling, as it disrupts the PET recycling process.

Thanks to its superior barrier characteristics and its compatibility with PET, PEF serves as a highly effective alternative layer.

The RecyClass PET Technical Committee assessed Avantium’s multilayer PET/PEF bottle, featuring 10% PEF Releaf RP90N, through laboratory testing conducted by PTI, Europe and Plastics Forming Enterprises.

Laboratory results confirm that the material is fully compatible with the PET recycling stream, as specified in the RecyClass Approval Letter.

RecyClass collaborates with the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) in the U.S. to standardise recyclability guidelines and testing protocols.

Avantium’s PEF earned APR Critical Guidance Recognition in 2023, reinforcing its suitability as a recyclable barrier layer.

With endorsements from both APR and RecyClass, brand owners are well-positioned to integrate PEF into their packaging solutions.

Moreover, RecyClass approval helps facilitate a positive evaluation by national producer responsibility organisations (PROs), which play a key role in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) compliance and the establishment of packaging-related fees.

EPR is a regulatory framework that obligates manufacturers to cover costs such as fees related to the recyclability and environmental footprint of their products.

“This recognition by RecyClass clearly demonstrates that PEF can be successfully integrated into the PET recycling stream,” commented the director of Public Affairs at Avantium, Ingrid Goumans.

“By offering a 100% high-barrier polyester solution, the PEF/PET multilayer bottle opens new possibilities for sustainable packaging. It gives brand owners and converters the confidence to adopt PEF as a functional barrier layer in their PET applications.” 

Last month, Avantium entered into a conditional offtake agreement with Hoogesteger to equip it with a plant-based, recyclable polymer, polyethene furanoate (PEF), for beverage providers’ juice bottles.

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