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
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