PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2016

MATERIAL / RECYCLING 16 PET planet insider Vol. 17 No. 06/16 www.petpla.net Recycling rates – good but not good enough The recycling of PET is certainly crucial in enhancing its position as a sustainable material. Producing virgin PET requires the use of resources which are finite so adopting processes which allow it be 100% recycled are key. Analysis has shown that recy- cling of PET uses two-thirds less energy than that required to manu- facture virgin PET, demonstrating the clear environmental benefits of the process. 2 In principle, all PET bottles could be manufactured using recy- cled PET (rPET). This is because, as long as the resulting rPET is approved for food contact, which it easily can be through the regulatory environ- ment that is in place, then it can be used for this purpose. However, there are sometimes issues in the take-up of rPET. This is largely in terms of marketing since the slight discoloura- tion that can result from employing rPET does not impact in any way on the bottle’s performance. By far a greater barrier to the adoption of rPET is the lack of availability of quality rPET. Currently the demand for rPET outstrips supply. This is due in part to the traditional mechanical methods of recycling PET bottles in which it was previously difficult to efficiently sepa- rate the contaminants, particularly dyes, from the plastic. Collection rates of recycled bottles are also an issue, with highly fluctuating rates across dif- ferent regions. While global recycling rates con- tinue to improve, there is still much work to be done in post-consumer PET packaging. Leading the way in terms of recycling is Asia with a rate of almost 80%, whereas in Eastern Europe only 12% of bottles are col- lected and recycled. 3 However, it is important to qualify those figures and recognise that in many developing countries, a discarded PET bottle has a greater intrinsic value. For those living in poverty, the collection of discarded bottles from households or open landfill sites provides a revenue stream and this is one contributory factor in the high recycling rates of certain regions. The emphasis on collecting bot- tles needs to continue, with commit- ments to further improving collection rates. The technological advances being made to optimise the use of those bottles also needs to be encour- aged, building on the new filtration processes being adopted to gener- ate PET flakes in a way which is both more eco-friendly and more cost 1 www.benefits-of-recycling.com 2 www.sidel.com/about-sidel/sustainability-/reuse-recycle 3 PCI, PET Packaging, Germany effective. This will enable the produc- tion of more new bottles from rPET, and also allow the recycled PET flakes to be used in a wide range of other applications. Despite the challenges of sourc- ing rPET, many of the major bever- age brand owners are committed to increasingly adopting it in their bottling processes, with some already achiev- ing usage levels in excess of 50% for certain product lines. Meeting future demand The focus on sustainable methods of production is a feature in many indus- tries and in packaging it is particularly acute. This is highlighted by a comment from Dr James Bellini, a futurologist, who said at a dedicated event for the beverage industry: “Food and beverage is very much at the top of the agenda. There are probably three big issues that we have to crack this century: one of them is health and wellbeing, one is sustainability and the third one is food and beverage.” Forecasts for 2030 suggest that demands for energy will have increased by 50%, food by 50% and water by 30%, alongside the additional pressures brought about by an increasingly urban population. This means that finding ways to optimise the planet’s resources in meeting those demands will only intensify and with it the need to ensure that the packaging we employ can contribute to that sus- tainability agenda. PET has a vital role to play. The responsible use of virgin PET across the supply chain can bring immediate and significant sustainabil- ity benefits. Extending that beyond the virgin resin, in its recycled form PET can be reused time and time again, reducing consumption of what is a finite resource. Already the most widely recycled plastic in the world, through initiatives to further improve collection rates and the methods of recycling, PET can further strengthen its position as the sustainable package of choice. It is about taking what is currently in the waste stream and putting it in the resource stream, reaching for the ulti- mate objective of a closed-loop sustain- able packaging supply chain. www.sidel.com RECYCLING S P E C I A L