45 PRODUCTS PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 09/23 www.petpla.net PETproducts ALL- IN- ONE-MACHINE ASSEMBLY FOLDING SLITTING TETHERED CAP CONTEXO GMBH Tel. +49 (0) 7181 / 606-100 info@contexo-gmbh.de www.contexo-automation.de Bottle-to-cup and cup-to-bottle The modified recycling material Repetec by Alpla is claimed to allow for the production of thin-walled containers made from food-grade rPET, created directly through a one-step injection moulding process. New application field Together with injection moulding specialist Engel, Alpla has expanded the application field to include containers, like those used for foods such as yogurt, potato salad, or olives. These containers are manufactured using thin-wall technology, which means they require little material and energy for production and have a low weight, resulting in minimal energy consumption in logistics and retail. However, producing these containers previously required other materials—polyolefins or polystyrene—for which there was no recycling loop in the food sector. In contrast to polyolefins and polystyrene, PET or rPET has not been efficiently processed into thin-wall packaging with competitive efficiency. In a col laborative development partnership, Alpla and Engel sought and found a solution to manufacture containers with at least 30% rPET (up to 100% possible). The rPET recycled by Alpla and specifically modified for this application, known as Repetec, can be processed on an Engel machine series designed specifically for the high-performance demands of thinwall injection moulding. As a result, food items can now be kept fresher for longer using rPET. Circular economy with Repetec As part of the European Plastics Pact, all plastic packaging is intended to consist of 30% recycled material and be 100% recyclable by 2025. Thin-walled containers made of polyolefins or polystyrene are typical for food packaging. Experts believe that relying solely on these materials will not suffice to achieve the mentioned goals, as there are either no recycling streams (polystyrene) or the recycled material currently lacks food safety certification. Even the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa) has not issued positive assessments for these recycling streams. rPET presents a potential solution to these issues and can help manufacturers avoid penalties, additional taxes, or exclusion from supermarket shelves. Despite the current higher cost of this material, rPET is becoming a cost-effective alternative. Efsa has approved numerous recycling methods for PET, making the material available in Europe. The advantage of PET lies in the fact that a closed recycling loop already exists. Furthermore, PET is currently the only packaging plastic permitted for processing into food packaging on an industrial scale in its recycled form. Thanks to this innovation, Alpla paves the way to recycle and reuse non-bottle-shaped packaging products as well. This expands the spectrum of PET and rPET applications and aims to establish a cycle from bottle-to-cup or even from cup-to-bottle, in addition to the well-established bottle-to-bottle loop that has been in place for many years. www.alpla.com
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