PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2019

PET news 6 NEWS PET planet Insider Vol. 20 No. 06/19 www.petpla.net European Commission targets 25% rPET as of 2025 The Council of the EU adopted the measures proposed by the Commission on single-use plastics. In addition to a ban on selected single-use products made of plastic for which alternatives exist on the market, the new rules will also introduce a 90% separate collection target for plastic bottles by 2029 (77% by 2025) and the introduction of design requirements to connect caps to bottles, as well as target to incorporate 25% of recycled plastic in PET bottles as from 2025 and 30% in all plastic bottles as from 2030. Tethered caps and lids are to remain attached for all beverage containers up to 3 litres, 5 years after the entry into force of the Directive. www.europa.eu World Star Packaging Award for recycling innovation The world’s first Xtreme Renew Flakes to Preform System, which directly produces new, food-grade 100% rPET preforms from recycled PET flakes in a single process step, was recently presented with a World Star Packaging Award in Prague. Erema, Sipa, Kyoei Industry and Suntory, four companies involved in developing the system, expressed their delight at receiving the award for this unique example of a closed plastic loop. The World Star Packaging Award recognises outstanding packaging solutions from around the world that set international standards for the packaging industry thanks to their design or the way they are manufactured. The joint development of the process was initiated in 2014 by Kyoei Industry and Suntory. The award-winning process is based on the combination of Erema’s proven Vacurema bottle to bottle technology which has been enhanced for this application with Sipa’s Xtreme Renew Pre- form Production System. This plant network produces new, food- grade PET preforms directly fromPET flakes. Having now been in operation at Kyoei Industry in Kasama, Japan, for almost a year, the Flakes to Preform System are not only claimed to output preforms with impressive quality values, but also to deliver unique ecologi- cal and economic performance. The annual production capacity of this plant is 300 million containers. The customer for this output is the internationally active Japanese drinks manufacturer Suntory. The Vacurema part of the plant decontaminates the flakes and increases the viscosity of the input material, which is then melted and filtered. The food-grade melt is then fed directly into the Xtreme injection moulding machine supplied by Sipa. With this system, a further melting process (i.e. the melting of the rPET pellets, which is necessary in conventional pro- cesses) is no longer required. This in turn eliminates the risk of yellowing and the formation of volatile organic compounds. The combination of four process steps - decontamination, IV stabilisation, melt filtration and injection stamping - in one system reduces energy consumption by 30% compared to conventional systems. CO 2 emissions are also reduced by 25% and are there- fore significantly lower than with conventional PET bottle produc- tion from rPET raw material. Since no rPET pellets are produced, additional dryers and storage areas are no longer necessary, resulting in lower costs. www.erema.com Bottle-to-bottle recycler tackels ocean plastic pollution As part of its closed-loop philosophy, CarbonLite Industries, recyclers and producers of post-consumer PET is launching a new category: 100% post-consumer ocean diverted plastic. CarbonLite’s newest offering will replace virgin materials for food, beverage, and cosmetic applications. These products will have the dual benefit of reducing ocean plastics and the amount of virgin material produced. “Plastic pollution in the ocean is impacting animal health and our food chain, and must be urgently addressed. Our team worked diligently with experts to source and provide a statistically meaningful supply of certified ocean-diverted plas- tic so our customers can be part of the solution,” said Jason Farahnik, Director of Brand Partnerships and Resin Sales. CarbonLite also owns PinnPack Packaging, a sustainable food packaging company in Southern CA, which allows it to introduce this grade of ocean diverted plastic in a vertically integrated enterprise. Ira Maroofian, President of PinnPack, said “We are excited to lead this effort and be among the first thermoforming com- panies to offer food packaging from ocean-diverted plastic.” Since its founding, CarbonLite, has been focused on closed loop, bottle to bottle recycling. The company recy- cles over 4 billion beverage containers annually between its facilities in California and Texas, ensuring the circular life cycle of beverage containers. A third plant is underway in Pennsylvania, which will increase CarbonLite’s capacity to over 6 billion bottles a year. www.carbonliterecycling.com From the left: Pierre Pienaar (President World Packaging Organisation), Michael Heitzinger (Managing Director Erema GmbH), Gianfranco Zoppas (President Zoppas Industries Group/Sipa), Christoph Wöss (Business Development Man- ager Application Bottle Erema), Eiichi Furusawa (President Kyoei) and Munehiko Takada (Chief Specialist at Packaging Material Department Suntory)