EVENT REVIEW PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 04/24 www.petpla.net 53 Natthanun Sirirak, Managing Director of Envicco, also shed light on the Thai FDA system, which has stricter safety criteria than the US FDA and the European Efsa in terms of raw materials and contamination levels. For example, the Thai FDA prescribes a maximum contamination level of only 210ug/kg (US FDA 220ug/kg) and no raw materials from landfills are allowed. EcoBlue Ltd. Thailand, is another company that received rPET Thai FDA approval for food contact packaging applications. Made from 100% postconsumer waste, using state-of-the-art recycling equipment, including Starlinger’s Viscostar Solid State Polymerisation (SSP) system, and stringent quality controls, EcoBlue’s bottle grade rPET has also received US FDA and Efsa approval. The company also supplies specialty rPET for filaments, films, fibres and strapping, as well as foodgrade recycled HDPE and PP. No regulatory framework requiring the use of recycled content in packaging In addition to reliance on the informal sector, there is another major difference to the European and US recycling markets. There are no regulatory frameworks requiring the use of recycled content in packaging. Therefore, rPET has to be a cost effective alternative to virgin material, which it is not. As a result, the recycling sector is heavily reliant on major global brands committing to increase the amount of rPET in their bottles, either to meet the EU’s 25% target by 2025, as an internal corporate commitment or as a marketing strategy. However, the regulatory framework and consumer pressure are lacking. Bridging the circularity gap - PET through chemical recycling With a general lack of regulatory frameworks and higher operating costs compared to virgin material production, the capital-intensive chemical recycling process faces significant hurdles in SEA and NEA. But there are success stories. Japan’s Jeplan, founded in 2007, has been at the forefront of plastics recycling, with previous efforts in PET clothes-to-clothes recycling and commercial plant operations. In 2020, the company entered into a strategic partnership with technology provider and licensor Axens to develop an innovative recycling process called Rewind PET. In October 2023, Jeplan commissioned a 1,000t/a (1kta) PCR PET chemical recycling plant in Japan. The process can be used to recycle all types of PET waste, especially those that are difficult to recycle mechanically, such as dark and black PET materials, coloured and opaque bottles, multi-layer trays, packaging film and polyester textiles. Through continuous depolymerisation and deep cleaning, the process produces high quality BHET (bis(2hydroxyethyl) terephthalate) monomer, ensuring a virgin-like quality suitable for a wide range of PET applications, including food applications. The company’s chemical recycling efforts are also beginning to bear fruit. One of the first batches of rPET was immediately sold to a high-profile customer. Outdoor clothing specialist Patagonia is using its rPET to work towards eliminating all virgin polyester from its products by 2025. Others Participants and speakers were rather united when it came to DFR (Design for Recycling): No coloured bottles (clear or clear and light blue in a 70/30 ratio), mono-PET material, labels must be easy for the consumer to remove, no full-sleeve labels, no selfadhesive labels and no direct printing because of the risk of heavy metals in the colour pigment. PVC, but also PET-G, were mainly considered as problematic materials. The conference also covered topics such as legacy MSW (Municipal Solid Waste) Bio-mining (an environmentally friendly technique for separating soil and recyclable materials such as plastic, metal, paper and textiles) with an EPR perspective. www.icis.com
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