EVENT REVIEW PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 11/25 www.petpla.net 32 EVENT REVIEW 32 Sukano’s new additive package Masterbatch enables PET closure recycling Malaysian company Sukano, whose European HQ is in Schindellegi near Zurich in Switzerland, has announced what it describes as a “major step toward closing the loop on PET bottle recycling”. Sukano is a global specialist in the development and production of additive and colour masterbatches and compounds for polyesters, biopolymers, high-temperature polymers, and specialty resins. Sukano has developed an additive package that allows the production of monomaterial PET or rPET caps that can be recycled seamlessly with the bottle. This eliminates the need to separate caps from bottles during recycling and thus helps recyclers to make the process more efficient. As caps account for up to 10% of bottle weight, this latest development unlocks thousands of tonnes of additional bottle-grade PET for circular reuse. The additive package is compatible with both thermoforming and injection moulding processes, which means that customers can transition to monomaterial bottle solutions without changing their existing production setup. PET bottles are the most widely recycled plastic packaging and represent the largest global source of highquality recycled PET but caps, which have historically been made of PP or HDPE, have presented a multi-material challenge to recyclers. As they are not made of PET, unlike the bottles, they must be separated during the recycling process. Sukano validated the recyclability of each additive in its in-house recyclability laboratory according to the Tray Circularity Evaluation Platform (TCEP) and European PET Bottle Platform (EPBP) test protocols at concentrations well above industry norms. While the additive is typically used at 1-2%, in-house tests were conducted at concentrations of up to 5% and with up to 50% recycled content. Testing according to the TCEP test protocol for thermoforming applications and EPBP test protocols for PET closures demonstrated no impact on colour, haze or IV, which means that it fulfils the technical requirements for the additives to be used in the clear PET bottles recycling stream. Design for Circularity is at the core of the company’s innovation principles, Sukano says, and so the additive accumulation and multiple recycling loops were also assessed and confirmed no disruption to the existing clear PET bottles recycling stream. The additive formulation was engineered with safety as a key attribute; substances of concern are deliberately absent by design. Non-Intentionally Added Substances (NIAS) screening was conducted by a third-party laboratory using generally recognised scientific methods and evaluated in accordance with internationally accepted risk assessment principles, to ensure that any potential consumer safety risks that may arise from the migration of these substances are effectively mitigated. Sukano says that this guarantees compliance with the most stringent food safety and packaging regulations worldwide. www.sukano.com STEPS TO THE PERFECT BOTTLE. www.roeders.de www.roeders.de Idea & Design Technology Manufacturing Blow Mould 100% Service Y O U R PA R T N E R F O R B L OW MO U L D S .
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