No.12 2025 www.petpla.net D 51178; ISSN: 1438-9452 PETplanet is read in 162 countries Suppliers of recycling plants and washing units MARKETsurvey 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 08 . 12 . 25 Recycling Page 23 EDITOUR Page 21 Page 10
No.12 2025 www.petpla.net D 51178; ISSN: 1438-9452 PETplanet is read in 162 countries Suppliers of recycling plants and washing units MARKETsurvey 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 08 . 12 . 25 Recycling Page 23 EDITOUR Page 21 Page 10
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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 [email protected] EDITORIAL Kay Barton Heike Fischer Gabriele Kosmehl Michael Maruschke Ruari McCallion Miriam Trotter Anthony Withers Editorial & WikiPETia. info [email protected] MEDIA CONSULTANTS Martina Hirschmann [email protected] Johann Lange-Brock [email protected] phone: +49 6221-65108-0 LAYOUT AND PREPRESS EXPRIM Werbeagentur Matthias Gaumann www.exprim.de READER SERVICES [email protected] 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. 26 No. 12/25 www.petpla.net A recent study on NIAS (Non-Intentionally Added Substances) in rPET containers has been published. It suggests a correlation between the rPET content and the NIAS content. We asked Casper van den Dungen of PETCORE Europe about the background. For him, the circularity of PET packaging has evolved from a buzzword to an industrial imperative, requiring precision, methodology, and long-term planning, emphasising that PET products - whether bottles, trays, or other packaging - must be designed for recyclability from the outset. Only then does collecting and processing them for the next cycle make true sense. A central challenge in the rPET lifecycle is managing NIAS, whose presence, even at trace levels, can affect food safety. Van den Dungen highlightes that critical steps such as collection and washing reduce non-PET content to parts-per-million levels, and thereby controlling NIAS risk to parts-per-billion levels. Validation should follow the PING (Packaging INtelligent Guidelines), with the revised 2019 version expected in early 2026. Brand owners face the delicate balance between increasing rPET content and ensuring material composition safety. Van den Dungen stresses that a holistic view of the cycle - from production through collection, cleaning, and reprocessing - is essential to identify potential errors early and safeguard food safety. A forward-looking development is PETCORE’s creation of a central NIAS database. This system aims to capture data on collection methods, origin, rPET content, and more. At the same time, it must balance confidentiality and transparency, protecting proprietary data while delivering meaningful insights for the industry. Read the full interview with charts and references starting on page 21. Yours, Alexander Büchler Dear readers,
PETcontents 4 PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 12/25 www.petpla.net 12/2025 EDITOUR CIRCULAR ECONOMY 10 Leading the way on standards, quality, and collaboration - Interview with Antonello Ciotti, President of PETCORE EUROPE 12 There is a target that matters - Interview with Nicholas Hodac, General Director, UNESDA 14 Sustainable from the outset - Husky is committed to sustainable packaging solutions for future generations 16 Everything done correctly and yet inclusions in the preform? 18 Sustainability – not just a passing trend MATERIALS / RECYCLING 21 NIAS in PET and rPET - Interview with Casper van den Dungen 26 Transforming PET recycling residues into revenue - BORETECH unveils its new-generation PURIFINES system 28 The greener cap 29 Boosting the PET game - Eisbär presents compact “Booster” technology to accelerate PET and rPET processing 30 Big bag to big bag - FIBCs made from 100% rPET MARKET SURVEY 23 Suppliers of recycling machinery & washing units EVENT REVIEW 32 PET Day 2025 - Meeting of the PET raw materials industry and consumers 33 K 2025 review OUTER PLANET 46 McDonald’s Japan replaces straws with 100% rPET lids - Nationwide rollout began November 2025 BUYER’S GUIDE 40 Get listed! INSIDE TRACK 3 Editorial 4 Contents 6 News 36 On site 37 Products 38 Bottles for Beverage + Liquid Food 39 Patents RECYCLING Editour Page 33 Page 38 Page 14
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PETnews 6 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 12/25 www.petpla.net Wisecap and Corvaglia form strategic partnership for the production of beverage closures in Europe Wisecap Group, a European producer of plastic caps and closures for the beverage industry, and Corvaglia Group, a provider of closure solutions for beverage packaging, have entered into a strategic industrial partnership. Under the agreement, Wisecap will integrate the caps manufacturing activities of Corvaglia Closures Eschlikon AG, a subsidiary of Corvaglia Holding AG, into its European production network, which spans sites in Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Egypt. Corvaglia will take a minority stake in Wisecap and supply its injection-moulding technology and closure designs to the Group. Through this partnership, customers will gain access to a wider range of closure solutions. The partnership is expected to accelerate innovation cycles, enhance technical support, and increase supply flexibility across Europe. Corvaglia will continue to focus on technology development and mould production from its headquarters in Eschlikon, while Wisecap will operate the combined caps production for the EMEA market. Both companies intend to ensure a smooth transition and uninterrupted supply to all customers currently served by Corvaglia Closures Eschlikon AG. Corvaglia remains fully committed to its global beverage closure business and to serving customers along the entire value chain. In Europe, this will be achieved through the new partnership with Wisecap, while in the United States and Mexico Corvaglia will continue to operate independently, covering closure design, injection-mould production, and closure manufacturing in full. The parties have agreed to keep financial terms of the transaction confidential. www.corvaglia.ch www.wisecap.eu IMD GROUP acquired MMC Packaging Ltd. from TekniPlex The IMD GROUP has strengthened its global presence by partnering with MMC, enabling both companies to expand into new markets. The collaboration allows MMC to grow beyond North America while giving IMD GROUP a stronger foothold on the continent. The partnership bui lds on previous joint projects, which demonstrated compatibility between the two teams and broadened IMD GROUP’s product portfolio. Under the label “IMD Solutions”, the company can now offer a complete system solution for closures, from the cross conveyor, via the cooling conveyor to the sorter, via the vision system to automation such as slit and fold, lining, sealing, cap closing etc. and digital printing – all from a single and reliable group. “It will be also very exciting to explore where MMC can inspire IMD GROUP in the other areas like inspection of preforms, bottles, barrier and cans. I see a very promising future and look forward to talking with our customers and partners about other synergies we are about to explore,” said Matthias Hermle, Chairman of the Board at IMD GROUP. The partnership positions both companies to pursue future projects with customers and partners worldwide, leveraging the expanded capabilities resulting from the collaboration. www.imdgroup.ch Expansion of food-grade PET recycling plant in Mexico Arca Continental, Coca-Cola Mexico and other CocaCola bottlers and PetStar shareholders have inaugurated the expansion of PetStar’s food-grade PET recycling plant in Toluca, reported to be the largest facility of its kind in Mexico and worldwide. The project represents an investment of MXN 2.6 billion (approx. USD 142 million). At the inauguration event, attended by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) under Secretary Alicia Bárcena, officials highlighted that the expansion brings PetStar’s total historical investment to MXN 5.1 billion (approx. USD 278 million), consolidating its position as a global benchmark in PET-bottle recycling and circulareconomy efforts. Driven by this expansion, the recycling capacity will rise from 50,000 to 86,000 t/a of food-grade recycled resin. This increase is the result of processing more than 123,000 t/a of PET – equivalent to 5.5 billion bottles – which will be reincorporated into the value chain of the Coca-Cola bottlers and PetStar shareholders: Arca Continental, Coca-Cola Mexico, Bepensa, Corporación del Fuerte, Grupo RICA, Grupo Embotellador Nayar, and Embotelladora de Colima. This investment will continue to generate direct economic and social impact by increasing the number of collection centers from eight to 32. This growth supports 2,200 formal jobs and 49,000 indirect jobs for urban reclaimers and waste pickers, who are a key component of the inclusive circular economy model promoted by the company. www.arcacontal.com
7 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 12/25 Official opening of Norway’s new national facility for sorting of plastic packaging waste The state-of-the-art facility “Områ” has been officially opened as Norway’s new national facility for sorting all types of plastic packaging waste, including material that previously could only be sent for incineration. Jointly owned by TOMRA (65%) and Plastretur (35%), the facility has the capacity to process 90,000 t/a of plastic, transforming plastic packaging waste into uniform polymer fractions ready for recycling. Områ uses advanced sensor-based technology to sort mixed plastic waste into ten separate monofractions – including PE, PP, PET, PS, and others – enabling improved recovery and increased recycling rates. It is claimed to represent one of the most advanced installations of its kind globally. Tove Andersen, President and CEO of TOMRA, said: “This facility has the capacity to receive and transform all of Norway’s household plast ic packaging waste into recyclable fractions, essentially closing the loop for plastics. It is a cornerstone piece of infrastructure providing reliable offtake for mixed waste sorting facilities, and can help recover more resources from source separated material.” The new facility, located at Holtskogen, just outside Oslo, will serve as a reliable offtake solution for municipalities and waste management companies considering the introduction of automated mixed waste sorting (MWS), a crucial step for increasing recycling rates without depending solely on household source separation. By 2030 the EU requires minimum 55% plastic packaging waste to be recycled (i.e., collected and recycled at scale) under the forthcoming PPWR. Today, approximately one-third of Norway’s plastic packaging waste is recycled; the rest is mostly incinerated. The name Omr å ( p r o - nounced “ohm-rau”) was chosen to embody the project’s deeper purpose: in Norwegian, it conveys the idea of “to think about” and “to take care of” — reflecting a deliberate commitment to resource stewardship and conscious decision-making. www.omraa.no www.tomra.com CREATING FUTURE STANDARDS Japan’s leading Aseptic PET Filling System Provider. Our website Our solution high quality reliable technology safe & secure
8 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 12/25 www.petpla.net CompoSecure announces business combination with Husky Technologies CompoSecure, Inc., a leader in metal payment cards, security, and authentication solutions, announced a business combination with Husky Technologies Limited, a market leading manufacturer of engineered equipment and aftermarket services, in a transaction that will value the combined business at approximately $7.4 billion. Dave Cote, Executive Chairman of CompoSecure, said in the announcement: “We are delighted to announce the business combination with Husky. This is a business Tom [Knott] and I have long admired, and it hits all the key criteria we look for in every investment – it holds a great position in a good industry, significant technology differentiation, organic and inorganic growth possibilities, and margin expansion potential. We are excited to begin working with the Husky team and believe the combined business is uniquely well positioned to deliver for investors.” Louis Samson, Co-President of Platinum Equity, Husky’s current shareholder, added: “We believe this combination will create value and unlock new opportunities for Husky and its stakeholders. We have great respect for David Cote’s leadership, share his conviction in this opportunity and are excited to roll more than $1 billion of equity into the deal. We have partnered with Dave, Tom Knott, and the team at Resolute before and look forward to working with them to create value again.” The announcement noted that Husky will be run as a standalone business alongside CompoSecure and will continue to operate under its current management team. Husky Technologies CEO, Bradley Selleck, said the business combination supports Husky’s long-term strategy and reinforces its commitment to innovation, operational strength and customer partnership, ensuring continuity for employees and customers, while enabling long-term investment. “Husky Technologies will build on the strong foundation we’ve established over our 72-year history,” explained Selleck. “With CompoSecure’s long-term partnership, we will continue to invest in the technologies, systems and capabilities that matter most to our customers and team members. Our focus remains on delivering high performance, reliability, service excellence and innovation.” Selleck underscored there will be no immediate changes to operations or customer experience. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC acted as financial advisor to CompoSecure on the transaction and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP served as legal counsel to CompoSecure. Goldman Sachs acted as exclusive financial advisor and Latham & Watkins LLP served as legal counsel to Husky Technologies. www.husky.co European PET industry encourages adoption of the CEN Design-for-Recycling standards The European PET value chain supports adopting the prEN 18120 series on design-for-recycling and recyclability assessment for plastic packaging, developed by CEN TC261/ SC4/WG10 under a mandate from the European Commission, PETCORE Europe said in a statement. These standards are expected to form the technical basis for the delegated act the Commission must adopt by January 1, 2028 under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR – EU 2025/40). According to the statement, these standards are not the final endpoint, but the first harmonised foundation Europe has ever created for: improving recyclability at scale, enhancing material quality, ensuring investment certainty, and enabling the PPWR’s 2030 recyclability and recycledcontent targets. For manufacturers and brands, the standards provide clear and unified design criteria, bridging a long-standing gap in the internal market. For recyclers, they offer predictability, support for high-quality output and a mechanism to guide future investments, says the association. While robust and technically grounded, the standards represent the first version. As innovation accelerates the standards will naturally require refinements and updates. A creation of a permanent PET value chain platform is therefore proposed, led by PETCORE Europe to support and monitor the standard’s deployment; observe their impact on quality, yield, economics; monitor technology evolutions that are relevant to be included in the standards for both design for recycling and recyclability assessment; get feed-back from brand owners, collectors, converters, pre-processors and recyclers and other PET value chain stakeholders; aggregate experience and prepare material for the update and the improvement of the standards within the framework of the CEN. The first formal revision is expected before the end of 2027. www.petcore-europe.org Carbios to launch PET bio-recycling plant in China with Wankai Carbios and Wankai New Materials have agreed on principles to deploy Carbios’ PET enzymatic recycling technology in Asia, following a June 2024 Letter of Intent. The partners plan a long-term collaboration to build and operate several PET bio-recycling plants in the region with a total target capacity of 1 Mt/a. JVs created under the agreement would receive an exclusive licence for Carbios’ technology in Asia. The first JV aims to construct and operate a PET bio-recycling plant in China with a processing capacity of 50,000 t/a, licensed to produce PTA and MEG monomers. Wankai will be the main shareholder and will finance the project, with construction expected to begin in the first quarter of 2026. www.carbios.com
9 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 12/25 www.petpla.net SIPA’s XFORM RENEW wins Sustainability Award for PET Recycling Technology SIPA S.p.A. has received the Sustainability Awards 2025 in the ‘Machinery’ category for its XFORM RENEW direct flake-to-preform technology. The award was presented on November 11 during a ceremony in Utrecht at the Sustainability Summit. The technology reflects ongoing efforts in the plastics and packaging sector to meet rising regulatory demands for higher recycled PET content and to address the environmental impact of PET packaging. Direct flake-to-preform technology The XFORM RENEW system is designed to simplify the production of recycled PET preforms by converting washed PET flakes directly into preforms. Unlike traditional rPET production, which involves multiple energy-intensive steps like melting flakes into string-like filaments, cooling, cutting granules, drying, and remelting, it eliminates the energyintensive pelletising stage. SIPA’s work on flake-to-preform concepts dates back to 2014, with the first idea of flake-to-preform technology. This early research led to the XTREM RENEW preform system, an injection-compression unit designed to produce preforms directly from rPET flakes. Subsequent technical developments were incorporated into the XFORM platform, a traditional injectionmoulding preform system. The newest iteration, XFORM RENEW, is compatible with high-cavity moulds, including configurations of up to 200 cavities, enabling high-volume output. Environmental and quality benefits According to SIPA, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data from the original version of the technology indicate significant environmental benefits and are applicable to the XFORM RENEW concept, with potential for further improvements as production scales. CO2 emission: Removing the pelletising step is reported to reduce CO2 emissions by about 80 per cent when compared with preforms made from virgin PET. Global warming potential (GWP): Against conventional rPET granule processing, the system shows an estimated 18 per cent reduction in global warming potential. Energy consumption: Electricity use is also reported to be lower - approximately 30 per cent less than processes relying solely on rPET pellets. Aesthetics and clarity: The reduced thermal exposure of the material can improve preform appearance and clarity Output: The system can reach outputs of up to 144,000 preforms per hour with a 200-cavity mould. Circular economy while lowering TCO The award comes at a time when the PET sector is under pressure to increase circularity. Fewer than 60 per cent of PET bottles placed on the market in Europe are collected for recycling, and only a small fraction returns to bottleto-bottle applications. Technologies like XFORM RENEW have the potential to accelerate the transition to a truly circular economy. SIPA states that the economic impact is also a key factor for producers. Using washed PET flakes instead of rPET pellets can reduce raw-material costs. The simplified process reduces handling, warehousing, and transport needs, and the company estimates that total cost of ownership (TCO) can be lowered by 30–35 per cent depending on the preform type. The TCO can be reduced by up to 35 per cent when compared to XFORM using rPET pellets (based on a 20g CSD preform example). A similar improved cost of -30 per cent is seen for a 12 g water preform example compared to XFORM with rPET pellets. www.sipasolutions.com RECYCLING XFORM RENEW
EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 12/25 www.petpla.net 10 Interview with Antonello Ciotti, President of PETCORE EUROPE Leading the way on standards, quality, and collaboration by Heike Fischer Sustainability has many faces. We already experienced its comprehensive significance and impact on the economy during our Editour and shared this with you in our tour reports. Communication and information are particularly important aspects of this. And where better to learn about the current status of sustainability goals and initiatives than in Brussels itself? Here, I met Antonello Ciotti, President of PETCORE EUROPE. Editour Interview with PETCORE EUROPE // May 13, 2025 PETCORE EUROPE represents the complete PET value chain in Europe – from PET manufacturing to conversion into packaging and recycling, as well as other related activities. The association is at the forefront of efforts with all stakeholders to ensure the sustainable growth of PET as a packaging material of choice and to further increase post-consumer PET collection and recycling. PETplanet: How is PETCORE supporting its members to work sustainably? Ciotti: Maybe I can first give you an introduction. PETCORE represents the entire PET value chain: PET manufacturers, recyclers, brand owners, and machine producers. We have around 160 members – major companies such as Dow Chemical, BASF, and Indorama Ventures, as well as leading brand owners including Coca-Cola, Nestlé, Danone, and Pepsi. Also, all the main recyclers and machine builders like Previero, Starlinger, and Erema are part of our network. The value chain is there! But our role has changed. In the past, we were more like an Agora – the Hellenic central place where issues were discussed and reviewed. Today, we operate through several Working Groups focusing on technical matters that concern the entire value chain. Despite the fact that PET is by far the largest collected and recycled polymer – official statistics from ICIS show that in 2022, an average of 75% of PET bottles in Europe were collected - PET is also the material that EU institutions are watching most closely. We have the SUP (SingleUse Plastics) Directive, which is still to be fully implemented, and now the PPWD (Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive), which is changing the SUP targets that have not yet been achieved – and also redefining some of them. For example, the average per EU member state should be 25% recycled PET in each bottle – but under the PPWD, the target has been increased to 30%. We are now talking to each brand individually; for instance, CocaCola has different sites, and each site must reach the 30% target. Even by bottle size – eg. in any given CocaCola location, the 500ml bottle has to contain 30% recycled content. At the moment, many members are a little confused. PETCORE’s role is to “translate” and clarify the regulations coming from the institutions. We also represent the voice of the value chain in Brussels, as we are recognised as a reliable partner – including worldwide: for example, by UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), where global targets are being defined to reduce plastic pollution. We meet with the INC (Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee) roughly every six months. This is important because some states claim that reducing plastic pollution is only possible by reducing plastic production – and we disagree with that. We support EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) schemes in every country and promote global design-for-recycling guidelines. Our knowledge is based on the work of our specialised Working Groups, and their results are communicated and used for advocacy. PETplanet: You mentioned the targets for the use of recycled material in each bottle – 30% by 2030. Where Sponsors
PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 12/25 www.petpla.net 11 EDITOUR should this recycled material come from, especially when major countries such as Spain, France, and Italy are still without a DRS? Ciotti: Spain is implementing DRS much sooner than expected. France and Italy already have high collection rates. The introduction of a DRS would certainly increase the collection rate but they entail high costs – and the question is, who would pay for the extra cost? When you already have 75–77% collection and want to reach 90%, an investment of €2 billion sounds excessive. That’s the debate. Italy took the decision, long ago to have few (32) sorting centres with high capacity. We have an index to track their investment in sorting – if they improve and implement new streams, they stay in; if they fail to reach certain targets, they get limited access to material to be sorted. So, they are somehow forced to invest; otherwise, they are removed from the list of active sorting centres. The problem is that every country is going its own way. In my opinion, Europe should act more uniformly and coordinate its efforts. Romania, for example, is struggling because there is not just one DRS – there are several competing systems which reduces the overall efficiency. PETplanet: Another pressing topic is the quality of recycled material. There is a new Working Group focusing on NIAS (Non-Intentionally Added Substances), and there is the KOR Labs platform. Can you tell us more about these new developments? Ciotti: KOR, the laboratory platform, monitors NIAS along the entire value chain by connecting accredited laboratories on a digital platform. It digitises the ordering process to simplify administrative tasks and improve traceability, presenting results in standardised formats that allow for further statistical analysis without reprocessing the raw data provided by the labs. Material from India, China, and Indonesia is increasingly entering Europe – and it is often very competitive in price but not matching EU standards. We are asking the institutions for a level playing field so that non-European producers have to comply with the same rules as European ones. If the cost of collection is high, the cost of recycling is high – and this must be reflected in fair competition. PETplanet: How do you assess the situation with the USA? Ciotti: We are connected with several equivalent associations such as NAPCOR and ABIPET, and we are also in contact with partners in Japan. There isn’t much material crossing the ocean, so in the case of tariffs, the impact on our business would be limited. In the US, only a few states – such as California, Florida, and New York City – have targets for using recycled content. PETplanet: PETCORE organises a major conference for the entire PET value chain at the beginning of each year. The next conference will take place on February 5 and 6, 2026 in Rome. What can participants expect? Ciotti: Well firstly of course we have branched out from our usual Brussels location and are holding the conference in Rome. This means we will attract local players and hear from industry partners working on the ground in the markets. The core theme of the conference is the need to restore the competitiveness of the European PET industry, and we have a line-up of compelling speakers from across the value chain. They will be going into detail on some of the challenges they are facing and what they require of the Institutions to address them. I am pleased to share that the conference is being sponsored by ICIS who are an invaluable knowledge partner. They will be making a number of presentations over the course of the two days and sharing global data and insights on trends. We will also hold our innovation summit where participants will get a glimpse of what the future will look like for our sector. Developments at EU level will continue to be an important part of the discussions, and our experts will look to explain what industry players can expect on the regulatory horizon and what it will mean for them. We will be joined by several representatives from the EU institutions - including DG GROW, DG TRADE, DG ENV, EFSA who are based in Italy, the OLAF (investigation office) and several other institutions. PETplanet: What do you like most about your work at PETCORE? Ciotti: What I like most is being an interface between our members (the business side) and the institutions (the political side). Sometimes I struggle more with the members than with the institutions, because it’s not always easy to present a unified position. But that’s also what makes the work so interesting. Arrivederci a Roma! www.petcore-europe.org Automated PET washing lines with high energy efficiency, easy maintenance, and excellent end products. Together with Coperion, the entire plastics recycling process chain is available from a single source. www.herbold.com | www.coperion.com PET Washing lines – Value-added plastics recycling Purity2
EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 12/25 www.petpla.net 12 Interview with Nicholas Hodac, General Director, UNESDA There is a target that matters by Heike Fischer When PETplanet is in Brussels, no visit is complete without a stop at UNESDA. Founded in 1958, UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe is a trade association representing the non-alcoholic beverages sector. Its membership includes 12 companies and 27 national associations from across Europe. UNESDA’s members are involved in the production and/or distribution of a wide range of non-alcoholic beverages, including still drinks, carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, iced teas, flavoured waters, and sports drinks. I was warmly welcomed by Nicholas Hodac, Director General (left), and Inês Rebelo, Senior Communications Manager (right). Editour Nicholas Hodac has now been with UNESDA for six years. During this time, he has strengthened the association’s focus on environmental sustainability - particularly topics related to packaging. Water has also become a new area of attention, alongside climate - while food safety, and health & nutrition remain top industry priorities. Back in 2019, UNESDA set out a number of aspirations that have been updated for 2024–2029 and presented in a new EU manifesto. The association works closely with EU institutions in defined policy cycles, and a new cycle is underway. With this, UNESDA is calling on the EU for support across its three key pillars: sustainability, health & nutrition, and competitiveness. UNESDA is an alliance of companies and national associations, comprising essentially 12 core companies. “We have grown significantly over the past year because the soft drinks market itself has expanded in terms of the number of players. Traditionally, our members included companies such as Coca-Cola, Red Bull, Pepsi, Suntory, and Nestlé. New players now include Carlsberg and Royal Unibrew.” Nicholas explained that consumers - especially the younger generation - are drinking less alcohol, which is why breweries are diversifying their portfolios and entering the soft drinks market. Fewer people drink alcohol at lunchtime, and fewer people go to bars, so consumption habits have changed. Non-alcoholic beer and non-alcoholic wine are on the rise. “What’s really fascinating is that we’ve moved from being just a traditional carbonated-drinks category to becoming a total beverage sector, with functional drinks, flavoured waters, and products that respond to new consumer expectations around functionality and mental and physical health. The level of innovation happening in the sector is remarkable.” Nearly every European country has its own soft drinks association, and these national associations are members of UNESDA. “In Brussels, we do not work on our own; we are also members of several other associations such as PETCORE and FoodDrinkEurope. We are also part of platforms, alliances and associations linked to the materials we work with. So, besides PETCORE, we are members of the ‘Close the Glass Loop’ platform in the glass industry, and the ‘Global Beverage Can Circularity Alliance.” Across all these partnerships, the focus is on closing the loop and achieving circularity. Around 70% of packaging in the sector is PET, 20% is metal cans, and the rest is glass. Each material must achieve full circularity. “In the last three or four years, we have seen PET’s market share drop from 70% to 65%, while the share of metal cans has increased, taking over those five per cent. There are two reasons for this: consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious, and plastics still suffer from a negative perception. That’s why PETCORE is running its recycletheone.com campaign to show the recyclability potential of PET. The second reason is linked to what I mentioned earlier: consumption habits have changed. There is much more ‘on-the-go’ consumption, and metal cans are the first choice in that context. Ultimately, every material must achieve a circular economy. For us, what matters is that the material is collected, recycled, and reused - that is what we want to achieve.” In 2019, there was intense debate surrounding the SUP Directive, and some countries even suggested reducing or banning plastic packaging altogether. “We saw it as our responsibility to outline a future in which plastic is treated as a valuable resource rather than something that ends up as litter. For many years, we have been strongly supporting the EU recycling industry through our huge investments in recycling and constructive engagement, and our Circular Packaging Vision is just another step forward in doing so. Our Vision was set out in 2021, with the goal of achieving full circularity by 2030. We present this vision to stakeholders and policymakers. We have also defined targets for 2025 and 2030. We began by accelerating our recyclability efforts to ensure that, by the end of 2025, every soft drinks packaging we place on the market will be recyclable. In addition, we have committed to ensuring that 50% of the PET used in our plastic bottles will be recycled PET by the end of 2025. By 2030, we aim to achieve a 90% collection rate for all our packaging - not only plastic bottles, but also glas bottles and aluminium cans - and aim for all our PET bottles to be made from 100% recycled content and/or renewable Sponsors
PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 12/25 www.petpla.net 13 EDITOUR material. This is ambitious, but achievable. It depends, however, on the availability of recycled material. With mechanical recycling alone, we will not have enough material, which is why the authorisation of chemical recycling will be essential.” At the moment, there is still some uncertainty regarding the methodology for calculating the recycled content derived from chemical recycling. “But we are confident that the European Commission recognises the potential of chemical recycling and considers it a necessary part of the solution. We urgently need clarity, because major investments must be made and several pilot plants are already operating. The theory looked good, but no tool was created for real implementation,” Nicholas continued. “We saw the PPWR as a tool that could support our vision and help us realise it more quickly. We approached the Commission and explained that we want to achieve circularity, and this is what we need the PPWR to deliver: support for collection and access to high-quality recycled material. The regulation must accelerate the introduction of deposit return systems (DRS). We have been working on this together with NGOs such as Zero Waste Europe and others with whom we have developed a common agenda. For example, collection rates are not high in every country, and where they are high, it is mostly because a DRS is in place. This is why we welcomed the Commission’s decision to include in the PPWR mandatory DRS to achieve a 90% collection rate for beverage packaging by 2030 and minimum requirements for any new DRS. The SUP introduced the target but not the mechanism; for example, access to the material needed to close the loop. “The material is collected by a system that we fund, we have to comply with ambitious content targets, and we can only use highquality food-contact materials. This is why we believe we should have the ‘right of first refusal’ to the feedstock for recycling stemming from the packaging we placed on the market and the collection schemes we fund. This is particularly important for SMEs, as it creates a level playing field for them to access recycled material at market price,” Nicholas explained. He closed with some enthusiasm: “It is positive that Europe is a leader - but perhaps we have gone too far, not necessarily in ambition, but in the complexity of the rules that have been developed. The ambition should not be lowered, but the journey toward achieving it should be supported. Right now, the process is far too complicated. Sustainability brings efficiency. Reporting and transparency are important, but they must be simplified and achievable!” www.unesda.eu
EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 12/25 www.petpla.net 14 Editour Husky is committed to sustainable packaging solutions for future generations Sustainable from the outset by Heike Fischer In Luxembourg, I had the great pleasure of visiting Husky’s impressive campus. I was warmly welcomed by Pedro Oliveira, Business Manager for Sustainability and Recycling Solutions at Husky Injection Molding Systems, as well as Maria Carbonaro, Marketing & Communications Manager, along with numerous employees during my tour of the production site. Sponsors Interview with Husky // May 19, 2025 We met: Pedro Oliveira, Business Manager for Sustainability and Recycling Solutions at Husky Injection Molding Systems (right), and Maria Carbonaro, Marketing & Communications Manager (left) Sustainability is a top priority at Husky. The company’s technical centers and manufacturing facilities worldwide are designed with energy-saving features to reduce their environmental impact. Many of these facilities are constructed using highly insulated concrete, with solar energy systems and radiant floors and ceilings to reduce heating and cooling loads. Skylights and strategically placed windows allow more natural light indoors, cutting down on electrical energy use. Additionally, Husky employs naturalized landscaping that minimises or even eliminates the need for pesticides. The company is also committed to recycling every possible waste stream - including water and fluids, paper, compost, glass, plastic, metals, wood, and general refuse. As a result, up to 86% of waste is diverted from landfills. Since 2021, Husky has been reporting on its sustainability goals and achievements through its ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reports. An ESG Committee oversees the company’s strategy, risk management, and regulatory compliance. In 2024, Husky supported 10 customers with its rPET Resin Quality Grading Services and contributed to PETCORE EUROPE’s educational social media campaign, ‘Recycle the One,’ which promotes the Circular Economy. Husky is also committed to the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), aiming to expand greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions disclosures to include all Husky operations, with a focus on Scope 3 reporting. The company is dedicated to fostering an ethical society and has become an employer partner of the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI), providing access to all employees with educational resources on diversity, inclusion, and strong governance practices. In 2024, several technical highlights were closely linked to Husky’s Luxembourg campus, underscoring the company’s continued innovation and commitment to sustainability. Sustainable PET preform production In 2024, Husky showcased several sustainable technology highlights, including receiving the Packaging Europe Sustainability Award for its innovative PET closure. The launch of the new HyPET6e was also a significant success. Pedro Oliveira guided me through the production hall in Luxembourg, explaining the new machine in detail. He began with the machine’s tooling capabilities: “The HyPET6e platform is specifically engineered for sustainable PET preform manufacturing. With high-density 45-pitch tooling, the machine is available in configurations ranging from 32 to 200 cavities. It supports rPET processing with up to 100% rPET content, all with a cycle time of just 4.5 seconds. This allows customers to produce ultra-lightweight preforms.” For lightweight water preforms, the machine can produce up to 144k preforms per hour (pph) with a 200cavity configuration, representing a 25% increase in output compared to the previous model. This performance improvement is driven by three key components: a larger mould stroke cylinder, a new clamp decompression accumulator, and an electric clamp lock. Pedro also highlighted the new HyMIX Screw, which improves throughput and melt quality: “Throughput is increased by 7%, which may allow for the downsizing of extruder configurations, leading to both lower costs and energy savings.” The most significant highlight of the HyPET6e is, of course, its 13.5% energy savings. A key factor in this improvement is the use of variable servo pumps, which enable independent pressure control for both the clamp and injection units. These pumps are no longer voltage-dependent, enhancing efficiency. Another important step was insulating the barrels to optimise energy consumption and prevent temperature fluctuations. The incorporation of smaller transfer cylinders also helped significantly reduce oil consumption. The required pressure is lowered thanks to a new accumulator for precharging, along with a new circulation pump motor assembly. Additionally, the newly optimised Coolpik DH2.2 system is integrated into the machine. This system provides feedback on the cold water temperature and enables seasonal reductions in compressor energy consumption. It also features an automatic bypass valve, further enhancing energy efficiency. The entire HyPET6e system has been optimised for processing rPET. It is designed to handle the varying behaviour of rPET material throughout the production process. A self-cleaning mould minimises maintenance
PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 12/25 www.petpla.net 15 EDITOUR requirements while ensuring consistent preform quality. The machine also accounts for the drying of rPET material, with a longer dwell time to achieve optimal results. Additional features such as blenders, a metal separator, cyclone filters, an oil condenser, and closed-loop preform quality monitoring with colour correction are also integrated. These upgrades lead to improved system performance, reduced variability, and higher preform quality. Pedro proudly announced that since the launch, over 200 HyPET6e system orders have been received, a testament to the success and impact in the market of the new platform. Mono-material PET closure In Luxembourg, a second sustainable innovation was born: the new PET cap system, enabling monomaterial PET packaging. The HyCAP SecuRE+ closure system offers a sustainable alternative to traditional HDPE closures. Moulded from bottlegrade PET resin, these closures further contribute to the circular economy in beverage packaging. Depending on the application, the closure can account for up to 15% of the total package weight. An all-PET beverage package results in a meaningful improvement in rPET bale yield. The challenges of producing a closure made entirely from PET were primarily related to the design of the tamper-evident band. To address this, Husky developed a patented process called SecuRE+. This design eliminates the need for integrated cams on the tamper-evident band, replacing them with a clearance fit that allows the band to pass over the pilfer-proof band like a sleeve. This approach prevents stress on the bridges and eliminates the need for a post-moulding slitting process, making it a dust-free manufacturing method. Despite having a higher mass density than HDPE, PET’s more rigid nature opens up opportunities for further lightweighting, especially at the dispensing system level. The molecular structure of PET also provides superior barrier performance compared to HDPE, extending shelf life for oxygen-sensitive and carbonated beverages. Additionally, the system allows for complex closure geometries and intuitive, patented tethered designs. Pedro explained that all PET closure designs are 100% compatible with existing CETIE standard neck finishes, meaning no modifications to the necks are required. Commercial launch will occur in 2026. www.husky.co
EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 12/25 www.petpla.net 16 Everything done correctly and yet inclusions in the preform? by Alexander Büchler The material for the preform must be heated sustainably with the necessary energy. No more, but by no means less. Who hasn’t experienced it in preform production: you have set everything up correctly, you start up and there are inclusions in the preform. The search begins. Is it the material - it contains rPET - or the plasticisation? Or what exactly …? Editour Interview with ReduPET // June 16, 2025 We met: Stefan Bock, CEO The explanation is quite simple. In 90% of cases, it’s the dryer. All dryer manufacturers measure the temperature of the granulate at the feed throat to the injection moulding machine. However, they only measure the surface temperature. The temperature is not reached in the core of the granules. Practically like a soft-boiled egg. The right temperature outside, but not yet inside. This is where the retrofittable WAVE system from ReduPET comes in (WAVE: Waste Analysis and Visualization of Energy). Traditionally, air temperature and air volume (in m³) are measured. And as a control value, the external temperature of the granules. ReduPET is moving away from the hands-on approach and focussing on the energy required and contributed. The energy required by the granules to dry is defined by the incoming air energy, which is easily measurable. Here, the mass flow must be taken into account as kg/h in order to calculate the energy contained. As with all other systems provided, measuring air volume alone is not sufficient. And finally, the energy that flows out of the hopper again must be calculated from the temperature and mass/h. And energy flowing in minus energy flowing out equals the energy that has flowed into the granulate. Actually, trivial but ingenious. Not too little, not too much With this simple physical approach, ReduPET manages to optimise the heating of the granulate. Not too little (to avoid unmelts/bubbles in the preform) but also not too much (resulting in material degradation/ yellowing increased, loss of energy twice, due to the chiller). The three energy values plotted over a timeline show very nicely production interruptions in which the system regulates itself down and also starts up again if the heating is running at the right temperature but does not achieve the required mass of air (unmelts/bubbles) or if there is a leak somewhere in the system or a unit fails (e.g. feeder) - irregularities, energy loss - and also shows if the heating supplies too much (fast) energy into the material and the granulate is under heat for longer than necessary (increased energy consumption, increased degradation). Sponsors Who hasn’t done everything right and still there are bubbles and unmelts in the preform? An example is the curve of the WAVE control: The required energy (green) suddenly goes to zero when production is interrupted and immediately back to maximum when starting up again. The other curves follow suit so that the energy lost is minimised.
PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 12/25 www.petpla.net 17 EDITOUR The control unit with the sensors can be retrofitted to all systems. Scales or similar are not necessary. Dealing with the energy flows during the heating of the granulate did not allow inventor Stefan Bock to rest on his laurels. It is extremely costly in terms of energy to run the preheater at high temperatures, as the exhaust air must first be cooled back down to 60 degrees in order to remove the moisture in the air. So his approach is to heat the dryer (preheater) only to 120 degrees, then 60 degrees warm exhaust air comes out as exhaust air (of course WAVE controlled), so the air does not have to be heated unnecessarily and then cooled down again for dehumidification. In terms of energy, absolute nonsense. The 120 degrees are enough to dry the material down to 20-50 ppm. The low temperatures in the dryer not only save energy, but the material can also be stored under these conditions during production interruptions without it yellowing or degradation increasing. Designed specifically for the challenges of rPET processing, the SuperBooster enables gentle, fast and efficient drying without damaging the material. Using real temperature and air-mass values, the WAVE system displays all relevant energy flows in the dryer, revealing how much energy is delivered to the material, how much is lost, and whether the process is running efficiently. The challenge with the low temperatures is the booster on the injection moulding machine. Very high air volume due to the hot air flows is necessary to achieve the required temperature of the total granulate grain. You can adjust everything very precisely using the WAVE control, but conventional boosters are not designed for the high air mass flows. The classic air flow from below through the material to the top would entrain the granules. So ReduPET takes a different approach. In the patented SuperBooster, the granulate flows on a kind of wall with tiers from top to bottom around the air supply. The air flows horizontally against the granulate and pushes towards the outer wall and not upwards. With the combination of WAVE and SuperBooster, the preform manufacturer can now bring correctly tempered and thus dehumidified material into its plasticising process, energy-efficiently and without bubbles and unmelts, ensuring correct crystallinity in the preform. www.redupet.swiss
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