EVENT REVIEW PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 05/25 www.petpla.net 32 Unprecedented memorandum will encourage the recyclability of packaging based on the “design for environment” principles Brazil recycled 410,000 t of PET packaging in 2024 Brazil recycled 410,000 t of post-consumer PET packaging in 2024, a volume 14% higher than the 359,000 t recorded in 2021, according to the 13th edition of the PET Recycling Census in Brazil. The information was released by the Brazilian PET Industry Association (ABIPET). The Census also shows that the PET recycling industry has remained solid, with sales of around R$ 5,66 billion (US $996 million), or 32% of all sales in the sector, representing strong income generation for the base of the social pyramid: approximately 40% of this total remains with waste pickers, cooperatives and recyclables dealers. The volume of recycling and the turnover are the result of investments in installed capacity and the development of demand for recycled material, based on work carried out by industry for at least three decades. However, the sector is facing a challenge. The lack of a consistent public policy on selective collection is preventing packaging discarded by consumers from being properly disposed of. “Recycling companies are operating at an average idle capacity rate of 23%, with peaks of up to 40%,” says Auri Marçon, executive president of ABIPET. “As a result, the PET recycling industry is reaching its limits, as it doesn’t have the raw materials it needs for its production processes, while tons of packaging are destined for ordinary landfills or are incorrectly disposed of in the environment.” Circularity on the rise: from one bottle to another PET packaging also continues to intensify its image of great circularity. In 2024, the main destination for recycled resin – 37% of the total – was the manufacture of new packaging (preforms and bottles), used mainly by the water, soft drinks, energy drinks and other non-alcoholic beverages industry, within the food-grade bottle-tobottle system. In the last survey, this market segment had already taken the lead, with an index of 29%. “This growth is due to demand from large users of PET packaging, who trust in the qualities and characteristics of the material and have maintained their commitment to sustainability, even at a time when recycled resin is being sold at a higher price than virgin product,” says ABIPET’s executive president. The textile sector comes in second place among the biggest users, with a consumption of 24% of all recycled material, followed by the chemical industry (13%), sheets & plates (13%), arching tapes (10%) and other applications which account for 3% of the total. Distribution of rPET across sectors in Brazil 2024 Design for recycling and the environment An unprecedented memorandum signed will also seek to encourage the development of PET packaging with a high value for recycling, within the principle of “design for environment”, expanding the circularity of the product, generating income for the base of the social pyramid. ABIPET itself, the Brazilian Association of the Soft Drinks and Non-Alcoholic Beverages Industry (ABIR), the Brazilian Association of the Vegetable Oil Industry (ABIOVE) and the National Association of Waste Pickers (ANCAT) are participating in this agreement. ABIPET updated the Guidelines for the Recyclability of PET Packaging, with the support of the other F.l.t.r.: Auri Marçon of ABIPET, Andre M. Nassar of ABIOVE, Roberto Rocha of ANCAT and Alexandre Horta of ABIR
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