PETpla.net Insider 05 / 2024

No.5 2024 www.petpla.net D 51178; ISSN: 1438-9452 13 . 05 . 24 M A G A Z I N E F O R B O T T L E R S A N D B O T T L E - M A K E R S I N T H E A M E R I C A S , A S I A , E U R O P E A N D A L L A R O U N D T H E P L A N E T PETplanet is read in 159 countries MARKETsurvey Suppliers of preforms & inspection systems Page 29 EDITOUR LABELLINGPage 39 Page 32

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No.5 2024 www.petpla.net D 51178; ISSN: 1438-9452 13 . 05 . 24 M A G A Z I N E F O R B O T T L E R S A N D B O T T L E - M A K E R S I N T H E A M E R I C A S , A S I A , E U R O P E A N D A L L A R O U N D T H E P L A N E T PETplanet is read in 159 countries MARKETsurvey Suppliers of preforms & inspection systems Page 29 EDITOUR LABELLINGPage 39 Page 32

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imprint EDITORIAL PUBLISHER Alexander Büchler, Managing Director HEAD OFFICE heidelberg business media GmbH Hubweg 15 74939 Zuzenhausen, Germany phone: +49 6221-65108-0 info@petpla.net EDITORIAL Kay Barton Heike Fischer Gabriele Kosmehl Michael Maruschke Ruari McCallion Anthony Withers Editorial & WikiPETia. info petplanet@petpla.net MEDIA CONSULTANTS Martina Hirschmann hirschmann@petpla.net Johann Lange-Brock lange-brock@petpla.net phone: +49 6221-65108-0 LAYOUT AND PREPRESS EXPRIM Werbeagentur Matthias Gaumann www.exprim.de READER SERVICES reader@petpla.net PRINT Chroma Druck Eine Unternehmung der Limberg-Druck GmbH Danziger Platz 6 67059 Ludwigshafen, Germany WWW www.hbmedia.net | www.petpla.net PETplanet Insider ISSN 1438-9459 is published 10 times a year. This publication is sent to qualified subscribers (1-year subscription 149 EUR, 2-year subscription 289 EUR, Young professionals’ subscription 99 EUR. Magazines will be dispatched to you by airmail). Not to be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. Note: The fact that product names may not be identified as trademarks is not an indication that such names are not registered trademarks. 3 PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 05/24 www.petpla.net Passion for PET, but above all for you! Dear readers of PETplanet Insider, I have valued Alexander Büchler for 38 years, first as a fellow student and then as a personal friend, and as an editorial colleague for 30 years. As a publisher myself for twelve years, I have been able to follow and accompany the success story of PETplanet for the full 25 years. Publishing flair means thinking about the reader, knowing their interests and always creating new benefits for them with a medium. Publishing intuition also means knowing the markets, recognising trends and keeping an eye on the interests of the advertising industry. Publishing success, customer orientation with a clear focus on reader benefit, cannot always be achieved by the publisher alone. Even if readers and advertisers provide impulses, partnerships with industry associations, trade fair companies and conference organisers help to pick up impulses and jointly launch supplementary or completely new information formats. Publishing thrives on networking and experience, but also on the courage to try something new. The passion of the people involved is essential. Alex and his team have developed a solid feel for developments, a keen eye for the big picture, the necessary sensitivity for commercial matters and the ability to optimise every detail – consistently and with great continuity in terms of personnel. With this in mind, I have the greatest respect for the first 25 years of PETplanet Insider and for accompanying the booming PET industry. I wish Alex, his staff and the second generation at PETplanet continued success – in your interests: in the interests of our readers. Markus Lüling lueling@k-profi .de www.k-profi .world

PETcontents 4 PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 05/24 www.petpla.net 05/2024 25 YEARS ANNIVERSARY 8 How it all began 25 years ago 10 The PET bottle’s journey 12 The material of choice for sustainable packaging 14 Advanced recycling on the rise - Advanced recycling technologies to complement mechanical recycling 17 PET recycling infrastructure in Europe - current capacity 18 “Key factors: preform weights and the use of recycled materials” - Criteria on life cycle assessments of PET bottles 21 The crusade of truth - Targeting plastic bashing 23 The quest to quench 24 Raising awareness and engaging with consumers - Interview with Philipp Lehner, CEO Alpla Group, on his social media activities 26 PET production and demand 27 EU Council and EU Parliament agree provisional deal for more sustainable packaging & less waste MARKET SURVEY 29 Suppliers of preforms & preform inspection systems EDITOUR 32 Ready for the future - Preforms and now also closures from Riyadh 34 Drinking water from the holy city of Mecca - From the preform to the finished Safa brand BOTTLING / FILLING 36 Contribution to prosperity in Mexico - Sipa and Gepp mark 25 years of successful collaboration 38 From regional to national - Kazakh mineral water bottler on expansion course with Ukrainian technology LABELLING 39 Shrink sleeves for light sensitive products 40 Adhesive technology spearheads sustainable labelling - Global push against single-use plastics sparks legislative actions and developments in technologies AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT 43 Air-powered plastic drying - RDX PET Rocket uses on-site compressed air to replace desiccants EVENT REVIEW 44 Microwave assisted depolymerisation recycling technology 46 All-electric capping systems now on the market EVENT PREVIEW 48 Plastics Recycling Show Europe - PET Recycling Conference Sessions & Awards finalists confirmed BUYER’S GUIDE 52 Get listed! INSIDE TRACK 3 Editorial 4 Contents 6 News 42 Products 49 On site 50 PET bottles for home + personal care 51 Patents 58 Outer Planet Page 34 Page 38 Page 42 EDITOUR LABELLING 25 YEARS ANNIVERSARY

yellow.agency T OTA LLY SW I S S. OUR INJECTION MOULDS FOR PET, PAC AND MED FEATURE ACCOMPLISHED, TRADITIONAL SWISS CRAFTSMANSHIP. OTTO-HOFSTETTER.SWISS A FAMILY OWNED SWISS COMPANY.

PETnews 6 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 05/24 www.petpla.net Conversion of Corvaglia Closures Eschlikon’s product portfolio 90% completed The company Corvaglia, headquartered in Thurgau, Switzerland, has played a pioneering role in the development and production of tethered caps. The development of the first tethered cap models began even before the official publication of the EU directive. Since then, Corvaglia has continuously worked on solutions and has been able to convince well-known brand owners of the effectiveness of its products. As one of the first suppliers of tethered caps on the continent, Corvaglia has secured a firm place for itself in this product segment. The company’s own cap production in Eschlikon was also gradually converted to tethered products as part of this process. Since March 1, 2024, more than 80% of the closures produced in Eschlikon now meet the requirements of EU Directive 2019/904. Around 10% of the closures produced in Eschlikon are exported to non-EU countries and will remain non-tethered for the time being. The remaining 10% will be converted by July. The development of lightweight closures to reduce unnecessary plastic has always been part of Corvaglia’s work. This approach has also been consistently pursued with tethered caps. With the latest tethered caps, Corvaglia is proud to make a further contribution to reducing material and energy consumption and thus lowering CO2 emissions for beverage packaging. www.corvaglia.com Carbios celebrates the groundbreaking of its PET bio-recycling plant Carbios celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony for the world’s first PET bio-recycling plant on April 25, in the presence of representatives of local authorities, partner brands and industrial partners. Located in Longlaville, in the Grand-Est region of France, Carbios’ first commercial plant is intended to play a key role in the fight against plastic pollution, offering an industrial-scale solution for the enzymatic depolymerisation of PET waste in order to accelerate a circular economy for plastic and textiles. The plant will have a processing capacity of 50kt/a of prepared waste when operating at full capacity. Work is progressing on schedule with significant quantities to be delivered to customers in 2026. Carbios’ technology enables PET circularity and provides an alternative raw material to fossil-based monomers, giving PET producers, waste management companies, public bodies and brands a solution to meet regulatory requirements and their own commitments to sustainable development. The plant will have the capacity to process 50,000t/a of prepared PET waste (equivalent to 2 billion coloured bottles, 2.5 billion food trays or 300 million T-shirts). The plant will create 150 direct and indirect jobs in the region. In October 2023, the company secured permits to build and operate the site. Construction of the factory, situated on land acquired from Indorama Ventures on February 14, 2024, is underway. Carbios and De Smet Engineers & Contractors (DSEC) announced their collaboration in February 2024 to manage construction. Feedstock supply agreements, including with Citeo and Landbell Group, will ensure the availability of raw materials. The plant’s strategic location near the borders of Belgium, Germany, and Luxembourg provides easy access to waste supplies. www.carbios.com Repi appoints Michael Thiessenhusen as new Managing Director in Repi GmbH Repi, a manufacturer of performance additives and liquid colours for polyurethanes and thermoplastics, announces the appointment of Mr Michael Thiessenhusen as new Managing Director of Repi GmbH, based in the North of Germany. In his new role, Mr Thiessenhusen will further support the upcoming strategic development of the Repi Group in the EMEA region and globally. He joins Repi with a substantial background made up of over 40 years’ experience in the chemical industry, specifically in the colourants and additives for thermoplastic applications. Having started his career at Zipperling Kessler & Co. (Masterbatch and Compound manufacturer), he covered several operational and managemen t positions with growing responsibi l ities within Clariant, then in Avient Corporation, where he held the position of Sales Director Europe. Repi wi l l leverage his extensive know-how and network in the colourant and additive industry to boost its strategy to be a reference partner for liquid colour and performance additive solutions globally. www.repi.com

7 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 05/24 Bericap invests in a new production facility in Kunshan Bericap is investing in a new plant in Kunshan that reflects the latest standards and increases production capacity by 50% to help it more effectively cater to customer demand. This marks the next milestone for the leading global manufacturer of plastic and aluminium closures in its international growth strategy – enabling a local presence and ensuring short distances for both customer support and product logistics. Bericap’s customers in China include major edible oil, soy sauce, and vinegar manufacturers, as well as customers in the beverage and automotive sectors. The contract with representatives of the Kunshan Development Zone was recently signed, paving the way for the construction work on the new building in Kunshan to start this year. Bericap is planning to start production at the new facility in 2027. The location of Kunshan, close to Shanghai, remains a strategic fit for Bericap, particularly since the Kunshan Development Zone aims to attract Top 500 companies worldwide as it evolves into an important business cluster focusing on the development, manufacturing, sales and display of high-end food products. www.bericap.com South Korean regulation requires label-free bottled water as of Jan 1, 2026 The South Korean Ministry of Environment (MOE) has announced an amendment to the Regulation on Standards, Specifications, and Labelling Standards for Drinking Water and Similar Products. Under this amendment, individual domestic products of drinking water and similar items will be required to adopt a label-free QR code system. This approach aims to streamline product information while contributing to the reduction of label waste and to promote container recycling. Scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026, manufacturers are encouraged to transition to the new labelling system well in advance to ensure a seamless implementation process. By embracing label-free QR codes, companies are not only expected to contribute to environmental conservation efforts but also to enhance consumer access to essential product details. www.eng.me.go.kr/eng/web/main.do We will contribute to the realization of a sustainable low-carbon society by leveraging aseptic technologies. www A BETTER FUTURE Through Advanced Filling Systems Aseptic Systems Your Solutions Provider

25 YEARS ANNIVERSARY 8 PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 05/24 www.petpla.net 25 YEARS ANNIVERSARY How it all began 25 years ago Dear readers, Today, on the occasion of our anniversary, I would like to thank all those who have made PETplanet Insider what it is today, namely an integral part of the PET industry. In addition to the team and our many other supporters, I would also like to pay particular tribute to four people who helped implement key strategic decisions during the early years of the magazine. In chronological order: Twenty-seven years ago, Gerd Liebig, then Head of Marketing at Mannesmann Demag, now CEO of Sumitomo Demag, and I were in a car together, researching an on-site article about Demag injection moulding machines at Siemens Telefone in the former GDR. The wall that used to divide Germany had fallen but the infrastructure was still very basic. It took us around five hours to cover the 200 km journey – enough time for us to think about a new idea for a trading magazine. Gerd: “I will never forget that trip and the openness and breadth of our discussions. We came up with ideas, rejected and rethought them before finally creating the PETplanet Insider concept. In fact, it continues to do very well”. Gerd and I decided to abandon the idea of the classic horizontal trade journal. With such a concept, a PET bottler needs several magazines and has to select topics of relevance to them from a mountain of information, e.g. a plastics, beverage or mechanical engineering journal etc. The new idea was to develop a vertical magazine that only picked out specific elements from the whole production chain across all the above-mentioned specialist areas. PETplanet Insider was launched twenty-five years ago in 1999 with this concept. The response from the supplier industry was enormous as they no longer had to advertise their PET machines in 30 different trade journals. The narrow target group focus of PETplanet Insider enabled them to concentrate on one publication. Processors worldwide were also enthusiastic as shown by their comments, some of which were sent by postcard I thought that Gerd and I had found the philosopher’s stone until I met Romeo Corvaglia on a fact-finding tour to Retal in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine in 2000. He already knew us, having seen our first issue at one of his customers in Indonesia. It covered the whole process – material, preform, stretch blow moulding, filling, drying line. “BUT” he pointed out “every bottle needs to have a closure, so why don’t you write about that as well?”. The scales fell from my eyes. Yes, of course, especially as I had completed an internship over several weeks at Alcoa in Worms during my mechanical engineering studies and had designed caps, most likely for glass bottles. Joining our project was Wolfgang von Schroeter, CEO of Mannesmann Demag, who took early retirement at 60, built a finca in Mallorca, explored the world on his motorbike and was bored at 61. That is when I got him interested in our Top Talk series. From the age of 62, he travelled around the world for us to interview all the greats. His many years of journalistic work in South Africa stood him in good stead when it came to writing and, in so doing, put PETplanet Insider into the minds of really big names. His period of boredom was over. We created a trade fair concept for the magazine. And where would be the best place for it? The Interpack fair in Düsseldorf. The project manager at the time Erhard Wienkamp, now Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf, said that our focus on plastics meant that the K’ trade fair was a more appropriate forum for us. I said no, the readers were all going to Interpack so I rented a few rooms at Messe Essen, organised a shuttle bus service and, hey presto, PETpoint was born. This caught the attention of Petra Westphal, then new as project manager at Drinktec and now Executive Vice President Yontex, the organiser of Brau and Drinktec. Petra (affectionately written as PETra) wanted to expand the old Wolfgang von Schroeter (left) and Alexander Büchler (right) visit Volker Kronseder at the Krones premises in Neutraubling, Germany.

25 YEARS ANNIVERSARY 9 PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 05/24 www.petpla.net still fresh after 25 years corvaglia is delighted about the close partnership with PETplanet since 2001 and warmly congratulates on the 25th anniversary. www.corvaglia.com Drinktec concept, with an emphasis on beer as part of the whole drinks industry. So we quickly agreed that PETpoint would move to Munich and be one of the initiators of Drinktec’s broader focus. Petra and I moved into the Indian market from 2004. Petra: “I had never been part of such a strategic partnership before. We visited trade fairs in India, met processors, travelled the continent and developed ideas which is how DTI drink technology India was born”. Strategic thinking is still a feature of our work today. One major step forward has definitely been the Editours with which we have been visiting our readers on all the world’s continents for the past fifteen years. This brings us back full circle. Dear Gerd, I am delighted you are now travelling around the country with a roadshow and lorry for the first time this year (see article on p. 46), although I could have lent you our truck right at the outset. And on that note, Yours Alex Büchler Most of the PETpoint exhibitors in 2005 are still our valued customers today. A. Schulman | ADS | AGR Top Wave | Alcoa | Americhem | Arburg | Atelier Francois | Bekum | Bericap | Böhm | Clariant | ColorMatrix Europe | Color Plastic Chemie | Corvaglia | Crown Bender | Dr. Boy | Eastman Chemical | Eisbär | Elixir PET | Engel Austria | Erema | Fostag AG | G. H. Krämer | Gabriel-Chemie | Gala | GEM | gwk | Heinlein Plastik | Henckert Engineering | Holland Colours | HSM Pressen | Husky | Ingersoll-Rand | Intergulf Limited | Josef Mehrer | Kaeser Kompressoren | Kirin Techno-System | KKT | KLZ Servis | Kortec | Krauss-Maffei | Leobersdorfer Maschinenfabrik | M+F Keg-Technik | MAG Plastic | Maguire | MB | Mitsubishi Corporation | Mold & Hotrunner Technology | Motan | Nemuno Banga | Netstal | Neuman & Esser | Novapet | Nuga AG | Otto Hofstetter AG | Pelliconi & C. | Piovan | Plastec | Plast Engineering Knauff | Posimat | PPS | PreSens | Pressco | Priewe | Pühler | R.P. Injection | R&D Tool | Repi | Resilux | Röders | S + S Metallsuchgeräte | Schöttli | Seaquist Löffler | Siad | Siapi | Sidel | SIG | Smart Engineering | SMF Maschinenfabrik | Starlinger | Steca | Strautmann | Umwelttechnik | Tampofl ex | Tooling Preform Systems | Viroplastic | Voridian | Welger Recycling | Wentworth Technologies | Werner Koch Maschinentechnik | Zecchetti s.r.l. | The PETplanet booth at PETpoint trade show Essen, Germany

25 YEARS ANNIVERSARY 10 PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 05/24 www.petpla.net 25 YEARS ANNIVERSARY 1968: PVC bottles as trailblazers In response to a request from Air France, Vittel developed a plastic bottle for still water made from PVC. These early plastic bottles paved the way for the acceptance of other plastics and aligned with the societal trend toward increased mobility. 2011: CSD in 100% rPET PepsiCo Beverages Canada announced the introduction of the 7UP EcoGreen bottle, North America’s first soft drink bottle made from 100% rPET. “Creating a bottle made from 100% recycled plastic for soft drinks is more challenging than creating a bottle for non-carbonated beverages because of the stress on materials from carbonation pressure,” said the press release. 1971: The stretch blow moulding process Otto Rosenkranz of Heidenreich & Harbeck in Hamburg pioneered the development of a stretch blow moulding machine using heat to expand thermoelastic PVC, leading to the inception of the “Corpoplast” process. By 1971, this method had transitioned to PET, and Heidenreich & Harbeck had been acquired by Gildemeister AG in 1972. This, in turn, led to the sale of the BA 3 rotary machine to Dupont and PepsiCo in 1973. 1970: HDPE cap for CSD The Swiss designer Albert Obrist developed the first plastic top for CSD drinks bottles with the injection-moulded one-piece HDPE cap. It was originally intended for use with returnable glass bottles. 2021: 100% plant-based PET bottle Coca-Cola launched a 100% plant-based PET bottle, eliminating virgin oil-based PET from production, in collaboration with biotechnology companies. 2009: Bottles with plant-based material Coca-Cola unveiled the PlantBottle, containing 30% plantbased material, intending to set a new standard for environmentally friendly packaging. The PET bottle’s journey On the journey of development leading to today’s PET bottle, numerous brilliant minds and breakthroughs played pivotal roles, without which the PET bottle might not have achieved its global reach. There are too many to comprehensively list, but we’ve picked out a few highlights for you. 1977/1978: Rise of PET bottles in the USA Pepsi introduced the first 64 oz PET bottle for CSD, followed by Coca-Cola’s 2l PET bottle in 1978. These first PET bottles had a base cup glued under the round bottle base so they could stand up on their own. 1977 The search for the perfect preform mould Representatives of the Continental Can Company, a subcontractor to both Coke and Pepsi, set out to find a mould maker who was able to design and produce a mould for preforms of the desired quality. And although the owner of the Swiss company in Uznach they visited, Otto Hofstetter, didn’t speak a word of English, the Continental Can Company decided in his favour. The order was for twelve moulds with 16 cavities each, which ran on injection-moulding machines of the German manufacturer “Windsor”. Two cycles per minute were being processed. Photo courtesy: Otto Hofstetter, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé, Sipa, CSI

25 YEARS ANNIVERSARY 11 PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 05/24 www.petpla.net 1971: The petaloid base The Continental Can Company was granted a patent for the petaloid base in 1971, which made the base cup of the first PET bottles superfluous in the early 1990s. 1991: Introduction of recycled content Coca-Cola became the first to introduce bottles with recycled content, incorporating 25% rPET into new bottles, marking a significant milestone in sustainability. Hoechst Celanese Fibers and Film Group, a division of Hoechst Celanese Corp., developed the process. 2022: Bottled in PET – but let it sparkle Sipa presented the first PET bottle for sparkling wine. The product is capable of running on existing filling lines. As the bottle neck looks just like the glass version, it accepts the classical mushroomshaped cork with its metal cage. The base also looks the same as the original. The design provides a top-load resistance of 3500N. 1973: Invention of biaxially oriented PET bottle Nathaniel Wyeth obtained a patent for the biaxially oriented PET bottle (US Patent 3733309), designed for “bottling liquids under pressure, such as beer, carbonated beverages, or aerosols”. Wyeth’s invention encompassed a method and apparatus for producing a hollow, biaxially oriented, thermoplastic article, involving a two-stage process comprising the compression moulding of a preform followed by the blowing of the reheated and stretched material into a bottle. 1999: PETplanet Insider With the launch of PETplanet Insider, the PET industry finally got its own trade magazine. From the very beginning, the magazine from a family-run publishing house has provided the industry worldwide with news, on-site reports and exclusive insights. 2024: Status quo Promising growth prospects continue to be attributed to developments aimed at reducing the carbon footprint. These include further lightweighting efforts, increasing the proportion of recycled material in bottles and switching from energyintensive hot filling processes to aseptic filling. Whatever the PET market delivers - read all about it in PETplanet Insider! 1975: Coca-Cola’s plastic bottle debut Coca-Cola`s “Easy-Goer” plastic bottle was unveiled at the St Regis Hotel in New York and praised for its lightweight, durability and environmental advantages over glass bottles. Made from acrylonitrile plastic, the FDA banned the bottle in 1977 due to health concerns. 1986: Compression-moulded caps CSI acquired H-C Industries, Inc., a company that had pioneered a patented compression molding process for manufacturing plastic closures. The H-C Wing-Lok closure emerged as the beverage industry’s premier mechanical tamper-evident closure. MAGAZ I NE FOR BOT T L E R S AND BOT T L E - MAK E R S PAGE 38 PAGE 8 PREVIEW BRAU 99, Trade Fair for the Brewery and Beverage Industry BOTTLE TO BOTTLE everybody wants to do it, PKR in Germany are there! PAGE 16 ROLF KULLEBORN produces 70 million preforms per annum ISSUE NUMBER ONE It´s high time that the industry had its own magazine - covering everything from PET pellets to the filled PET bottle 1/99 ISSN: 1438-9452 PET Source: Imarc Group (www.imarcgroup.com) Outlook of global PET bottles from 2024-2032 Breakup of global PET bottles market volume (for 2023)

25 YEARS ANNIVERSARY 12 PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 05/24 www.petpla.net 25 YEARS ANNIVERSARY The material of choice for sustainable packaging based on an article by Dr Frank Welle, The Facts about PET PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) was first developed for use in synthetic fibres by British Calico Printers in 1941.* The patent rights were then sold to Dupont and ICI who in turn sold regional rights to many other companies. Although originally produced for fibres, PET began to be used for packaging films in the mid 1960s and then, in the early 1970s, the technique for blowing bi-axially oriented bottles was commercially developed. Bottle now represent the most significant use of PET moulding resins. Making a PET bottle starts from the raw material: ethylene and paraxylene. These two substances’ derivatives (ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid) are made to react in order to obtain the PET resin. The resin, in the shape of small cylinders called pellets, is melted and injected into a mould to make a preform. The preform - a sort of test tube, shorter than the final bottle but with thicker walls - is then blow-moulded. During the blow-moulding phase, high-pressure air is blown into the preform allowing it to take the exact shape of the mould it is set into. The final product is, thanks to the molecular structure of the material, a transparent, unbreakable, resealable and lightweight bottle. The strength of the material It is the strength of the material that contributes to the success of PET. Indeed, carbonated soft drinks can generate pressure inside the bottle reaching up to 6 bar. Such high pressure however, thanks to the alignment of macromolecules (crystallisation) occurring both during the resin spinning process and the blow-moulding process, is not capable of deforming the bottle nor can it make the bottle explode. Another advantage of the material lies in its physical properties that allow for great freedom in design. Throughout the years, the PET industry has increasingly taken on environmental concerns, significantly decreasing the quantity of raw material needed for the manufacture of bottles. Nowadays, a 1.5 l PET container is manufactured with < 30 g of raw material. Another striking feature of PET on the environmental side is that it is fully recyclable. In 1977, the first PET bottle was recycled and turned into a bottle base cup. Soon however, the fibre industry discovered the “new” material source and started using it for making textiles, carpets and non-wovens. Today, even though the “bottle to bottle” recycling process is growing, the fibre market is still the major outlet for recovered PET. Lightweighting PET PET bottles are very strong, colourless and lightweight. PET is transparent and it allows the content of the container to remain visible. The strength and lightweight of PET is very important for beverage packaging since it makes the bottles safe for on-the-go or sports use. Over the years, the weight of PET bottles has been reduced and today a 1.5 l bottle can weigh as little as 20 to 30g. This process of light weighting represents a true benefit with regard to the environmental performance a bottle will have during its lifetime: production, transport to the consumer and end of life cycle. With its excellent material properties, PET is widely used today as a packaging material for liquids such as carbonated beverages and is one of the most suitable materials for the packaging of natural mineral and spring water. PET is used in the packaging sector in the form of films, trays or bottles, its principle use being in bottles. The interaction of PET with food and water No packaging material is fully inert and so there will always be some kind of interaction with the beverage or foodstuff it contains. In the case of food, mild oxidation may occur due to oxygen permeation. Likewise, carbon dioxide from carbonated beverages can permeate through the packaging material. In certain instances, there may also be a small degree of migration of components from the plastic packaging into the content. For consumer health protection, all such interaction must be reduced to a minimum. As with all other material in contact with food, PET packaging does comply with all European and national legal requirements. Such requirements include an assessment of the initial raw materials employed (i.e., monomers and additives) and the compliance with any restrictions that are established, such as migration limits. The requirements for the migration of monomers and additives according to the European Packaging Legislation is given in Table 1. Acetaldehyde Acetaldehyde is a by-product of the PET manufacturing process. It is produced when PET is heated to a high temperature to produce bottles. Many beverages and foodstuffs contain natural acetaldehyde. The trace quantities of acetaldehyde that may migrate from PET into bottled water are totally harmless, although they may cause the water to have a slightly fruity offtaste. When the concentration exceeds 0.02mg of acetaldehyde per litre, the consumer may be able to taste it. Based on consumers’ acceptance and local regulation, this is something that should be avoided in some countries whereas it is well accepted in others. PET bottle manufacturers have worked closely with the bottled water companies to optimise the PET bottle production process with a view to minimising levels of acet-

25 YEARS ANNIVERSARY 13 PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 05/24 www.petpla.net aldehyde migration. Also acetaldehyde reducing additives are applied in the preform manufacturing process. Acetaldehyde reducing additives Traces of acetaldehyde can migrate from the PET bottle wall into natural mineral water. The main goal in preform and bottle manufacturing is to reduce the acetaldehyde concentration in PET. From migration theory, the bottle wall concentration of acetaldehyde is directly proportional to the migration under the same storage conditions. This means that the reduction by a factor of two results in half of the migrated amount of acetaldehyde into bottled water. 2-Aminobenzamide, also known as anthranilamide, is the most popular acetaldehyde reduction additive and called an acetaldehyde scavenger used in PET preform manufacturing. This additive reacts chemically with acetaldehyde to form a non-odorous and higher molecular weight substance. As any other additive, 2-aminobenzamide must be approved for the application in PET bottles and the specific migration limit of 2-aminobenzamide of 0.05mg/kg food (Table 1) has to be controlled in routine tests by the mineral water filling company. Monomers (ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid) In general terms, the migration of monomers from plastics can never be totally prevented. PET, however, is highly inert compared to other plastics. Thus, only extremely small quantities of monomers may migrate into bottled water. For example, a study has shown that the level of migration of the monomers ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid from PET bottles is far below statutory limits. Nonetheless, water bottling companies constantly monitor levels of monomer migration from PET bottles. Antimony Antimony trioxide is the major catalyst used to polymerise PET. In principle, the catalyst will remain in the PET after polymerisation. Typically, concentrations of antimony in PET bottles are below of 300mg/kg PET. Alternative catalysts for the polymerisation of PET have also been developed, mostly based on titanium, aluminium or germanium. However, to date the alternatives developed have not succeeded in making a major commercial breakthrough and antimony trioxide remains by far the dominant catalyst employed by resin suppliers. As with all the substances employed in the manufacture of PET, antimony is subject to strict statutory regulations in Europe. The maximum permitted level of antimony migration from a PET bottle into the finished product is 0.04mg/l (Table 1). Under normal storage conditions, the level of antimony migration from PET bottles is extremely low. The limit value for antimony migration from PET packaging may not be exceeded during the shelf life of the beverage, even when bottles are stored in warm climates for many months. The limit value for antimony in water is considerably lower than the limit value for migration from PET packaging. In Europe, for example, a maximum of 0.005mg of antimony may be present in one litre of natural mineral, spring or drinking water at the time of packaging. Even if, from a legal point of view, the migration limit of 0.04mg/l is valid for bottled . Bio-PET Traditionally, the monomers of PET are manufactured from fossil-based resources. However, a synthetic route for ethylene glycol, one of the two monomers, was developed from biomass as early as in the late 1980’s. Sugar-cane is transformed to bio-ethanol. In the second step, bio-ethanol is oxidised to the monomer ethylene glycol, which is subsequently used for the polymerisation of PET. A mass fraction of about 30% by weight is realised when using bio-ethylene glycol as monomer for PET. The second monomer of PET, terephthalic acid, is not commercially available using biobased resources. However, synthetic routes from biomass to terephthalic acid are available in laboratory/pilot scale. From a chemical point of view, bio-PET is indistinguishable from fossil-based PET. Therefore, the same manufacturing facilities for PET pellets, preforms and bottles can be used. Also, bio-PET is fully recyclable along with fossil-based PET. Such bio-based equivalents to fossilbased polymer are called “drop-in” biopolymers. * Neumann, E H. Thermoplastic polyesters in Encyclopaedia of Packaging Technology, ed Bakker M. John Wiley, New York 1986. https://www.petcore-europe.org/images/news/pdf/ factsheet_the_facts_about_pet_dr_frank_welle_2018.pdf Substance Specific migration limit in mg per kg food Acetaldehyde 6 Terephthalic acid 7.5 Isophthalic acid 5 Mono- and diethylene glycol 30 Antimony 0.04 2-Aminobenzamide 0.05 Table 1: Requirements according to European Packaging Legislation (EU 2011)

25 YEARS ANNIVERSARY 14 PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 05/24 www.petpla.net 25 YEARS ANNIVERSARY Advanced recycling technologies to complement mechanical recycling Advanced recycling on the rise Advanced recycling technologies are developing at a fast pace, with new players constantly appearing on the market, from start-ups to chemistry giants and everything in-between. New plants are being built, new capacities are being achieved, and new partnerships are being established. With all these dynamic developments, it is difficult to keep track of what is happening. Nova Institute’s report “Mapping of advanced plastic waste recycling technologies and their global capacities” aims to clear up this jungle of information providing a structured overview and in-depth insight. Besides conventional mechanical recycling and taking account of recent discussions on the improvement of recycling rates, a wide spectrum of advanced recycling technologies is moving into focus. Whilst PET bottle mechanical recycling is well established and performing well, in cases of mixed plastic waste or mixed waste containing various plastics and organic waste, mechanical recycling is not an option, or allows only partial solutions with considerable effort of pretreatment. In consequence, these waste streams mostly end up in landfill or incineration instead of being further processed into a new feedstock. This is why advanced recycling technologies are crucial for the circular economy. With advanced recycling a toolbox of versatile technologies is available to address plastic waste streams in different compositions and qualities in order to transform them into a range of different raw materials that can be reintroduced at different positions along the value chain of polymers and plastics. The technologies include material recycling based on dissolution (physical process) from which polymers can be obtained. Furthermore, numerous chemical recycling technologies are available that are capable of depolymerising a targeted polymer into its component parts (monomers) via enzymolysis (biochemical process), solvolysis (chemical process), and thermal depolymerisation (thermochemical process). Another group of chemical recycling technologies are thermochemical processes which are currently achieving the largest capacities. These technologies are based on pyrolysis, gasification and incineration coupled with Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) which are capable of converting plastic waste into secondary valuable chemicals as well as naphtha, syngas, and CO2 which can be used as feedstock for the production of new polymers. Which technologies are suitable for PET? The Nova Institute report “Mapping of advanced plastic waste recycling technologies and their global capacities” provides an in-depth insight into advanced recycling technologies and their providers. More than 100 technologies and their status are presented in detail listing the companies, their strategies and investment as well as cooperation partners. But which technologies are actually suitable for PET?

25 YEARS ANNIVERSARY 15 PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 05/24 www.petpla.net Solvolysis The solvent-based solvolysis describes a chemical process based on depolymerisation which can be achieved with different solvents. This process breaks down polymers (mainly PET) into their building units (e.g. monomers, dimers, oligomers). After breakdown, the building units need to be cleaned from the other plastic components (e.g. additives, pigments, fillers, non-targeted polymers). After cleaning, the component parts are polymerised to synthesise new polymers. With only 24 companies involved, fewer solvolysis technology providers are on the market compared to pyrolysis which likewise offers smaller capacities, typically between 550-8,750 t/a. Of the identified solvolysis technology providers a majority are located in Europe (14 providers) followed by North America (seven), Japan (two), and China (one provider). In the case of nine companies, the majority of providers are mainly small enterprises. Large providers consist of seven companies, whilst five are medium scale and two are micro/start-up enterprises. Among the large enterprises are Aquafil (Arco, Trentino, Italy, Eastman Chemical Company (Kingsport, TN, USA), IFP Energies Nouvelles (IFPEN) (Rueil-Malmaison, France), International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) (Armonk, NY, USA), DuPont Teijin Films (Tokyo, Japan), and Dow (Midland, MI, USA). Dissolution Dissolution describes a solvent-based technology that is based on physical processes. Targeted polymers from mixed plastic wastes can be dissolved in a suitable solvent, leaving the chemical structure of the polymer intact. Dissolution is suitable for PET, but most suppliers primarily focus on PP/PE. However, where high PET content is desired, solutions for PET are available. Other plastic components (e.g. additives, pigments, fillers, non-targeted polymers) remain undissolved and can be cleaned from the dissolved target polymer. Afterwards an anti-solvent is added to initiate the precipitation of the target polymer. The polymer can be obtained directly, and in contrast to solvolysis, no polymerisation step is needed. Currently, the process is achieving a maximum capacity of 8,000 t/a; the majority of the nine identified technology providers is located in Europe (four providers), followed by North America (three), China (one), and the rest of the world (one provider). In the case of three of the companies, most are small enterprises followed by micro/start-up- (two companies), medium- (two companies), and a large (two companies) enterprise which is represented by Shuye Environmental Technology (Shantou, China). Enzymolysis An alternative path is represented by enzymolysis, a technology based on biochemical processes utilising different kinds of biocatalysts to depolymerise a polymer into its building units. Being in an early development phase, this technology is available only at lab-scale. Currently, only one enzymolysis technology provider was identified which is a small enterprise located in Europe. The process is suitable for PET. www.pti-usa.com • info@pti-usa.com Engineering Packaging from Concept to Commercialization®

25 YEARS ANNIVERSARY 16 PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 05/24 www.petpla.net 25 YEARS ANNIVERSARY Gasification Another thermochemical process that is suitable for PET and capable of converting mixed plastics waste and biomass in presence of heat and oxygen into syngas and CO2 is gasification. Overall, 12 gasification technology providers were identified and currently the largest achieved capacity measure is of up to 200,000 t/a; most providers are located in North America (seven providers) followed by Europe (five). The majority of the identified companies (four) are medium-sized enterprises, followed by small- (three companies), micro/start-up (two companies), with just one large enterprise (Eastman). Pyrolysis In the pyrolysis process, a thermochemical recycling process is available that converts or depolymerises mixed plastic wastes (mainly polyolefins) and biomass into liquids, solids, and gases in the presence of heat and the absence of oxygen. Obtained products range, for example, from various different fractions of liquids including oils, diesel, naphtha, and monomers as well as syngas, char, to waxes. Depending on the obtained products these can be utilised as renewable feedstocks for the production of new polymers. With 40,000 t/a, the second-largest capacity found in the report is achieved with pyrolysis. The majority of the 80 identified technology providers are located in Europe (42 providers) followed by North America (21), rest of the world (11), China (four), Cis (one), and Japan (one provider). With 27 companies most providers are small enterprises followed by micro/start-up- and medium- enterprises (both each comprising 18 companies), and large enterprises (16 providers) such as Blue Alp (Eindhoven, the Netherlands), Demont (Millesimo, Italy), Ineos Styrolution (Frankfurt, Germany), Neste (Espoo, Finland), Österreichische Mineralölverwaltung (OMV) (Vienna, Austria), Repsol (Madrid, Spain), Unipetrol (Prague, Czechia), VTT (Espoo, Finland), and Chevron Phillips (The Woodlands, TX, USA). In Europe, pyrolysis is the predominant form of chemical recycling for PE/PP. However, for PET, the process is only suitable to a limited extent of <5%. Evaluation of capacities More than 340 planned as well as installed and operating plants were mapped worldwide providing a total input capacity of 1,477 kt/a. In Europe, there is already a considerable potential of know-how and providers for chemical and physical recycling technologies which is reflected in the comparison with the globally installed plants and capacities. From all installed chemical and physical recycling plants worldwide more than 60 and thus the majority are operating in Europe covering nearly one quarter of the worldwide input capacity. Europe therefore ranks top in the global comparison chart. Globally, the production capacity of advanced recycling is 1,082 kt/a with products ranging from polymers, monomers, naphtha, Secondary Valuable Chemicals (SVC), and fuels & energy. Europe’s circular strategy becomes evident by putting the product shares of polymers, monomers, naphtha, and SVC from chemical and physical recycling into a global context. Here, Europe covers 36 % of the installed global capacity. In the coming five years a strong growth of the market is expected in which the amount of installed chemical and physical recycling plants will steadily grow. A first indicator are the announcements of the technology providers for the construction of new plants. An analysis of these announcements shows that the input capacity in Europe will more than triple by 2027 while globally the capacity will double. However, the projection for Europe might change depending on any additional political measures, such as the revision of relevant directives or the establishment of incentives and investment programmes. www.nova-institut.eu A NEW LEVEL IN RECYCLING Happy 25th Anniversary PETplanet OMNI Recycling Technologies Super Clean Recycling in One Extrusion Step

25 YEARS ANNIVERSARY 17 PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 05/24 www.petpla.net 25 YEARS ANNIVERSARY PET recycling infrastructure in Europe - current capacity The PET recycling process starts with the arrival of the material (i.e. PET bales) to the recycling facility, where it is shredded and washed, producing flakes. Flakes can be either directly commercialised by recyclers (for applications such as packaging) or be sent to extrusion into pellets. The first point of the PET recycling value chain where it is possible to measure how much PET can be recycled is the material washing step. The installed washing capacity in the EU27+3 region was around 3 million tonnes in 2022, which accounted for almost 25% of the installed plastics recycling capacity for all polymers. This was an addition of 200,000 t to PET washing capacity in relation to 2020. The first figure below shows the installed washing capacity per country group, with Germany accounting with the largest share of about 630,000 t, followed by Spain & Portugal with almost 500,000 t capacity. Italy (307,000 t), UK & Ireland (292,000 t) and France (286,000 t) are the next countries with the largest capacities. Together, these seven countries account for approximately 67% of rPET flake production capacity. Spain, Germany and Romania witnessed the highest capacity growth between 2020 and 2022. PET polymer recycling capacity for flakes production (washing capacity) has the highest average recycling capacity per plant across all polymers, averaging over 20,000 t per facility, with Benelux, Germany and France having a higher average plant size in terms of geographies. The second figure shows that the extrusion capacity for rPET pellet production from flakes was estimated at around 1.4 million tonnes in 2022, representing a two-fold increase since 2020. This capacity, which absorbs the majority of flakes from the market to extrude into material suitable for food contact applications (mainly food grade pellets), has developed with the demand for rPET materials to comply with mandated targets and voluntary commitments from brand owners and has driven significant investment in this sector of the value chain. Germany accounts for the largest share at over 270,000 t, followed by France (220,000 t) and Benelux (200,000 t). Of the 140 companies reprocessing PET waste into flakes in EU27+3 in 2022, about 40 are integrated with downstream extrusion capacity to produce rPET pellets, i.e. the plant has both washing and extrusion processes. Additionally, over 20 companies only produce pellets from flakes procured from external sources. Thus, about 60% of the rPET extrusion capacity in the region is integrated upstream with flake production, having both washing and extrusion lines within the same facilities. As seen in figures below, the geographical areas of Benelux and France have the highest installed extrusion capacity in relation to the washing capacity, indicating sufficient domestic capacity to convert flakes into pellets locally. Domestic recycling capacity has developed strongly since 2020, with overall available volumes matching demand as set by mandatory recycled content targets for 2025. However, due to the disparity in collection systems across the member states, some capacity was not able to reach its potential due to a lack of available quality feedstocks. Any subsequent gap in supply was met by imports during 2022, with significant increases in rPET flake and pellet imports throughout the year. This displaced domestic supply as the market balance shifted out of typical seasonal patterns, whereby demand spiked early in the year when due to the low season for beverage consumption bale availability was equally low. www.unesda.eu www.icis.com

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