The European PET Bottle Platform (EPBP) has established itself as a liaison organization to the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN)’s Technical Committee. This strategic move aims to enhance bottle-to-bottle recycling for PET in forthcoming design for recycling legislation.

Source: PackagingEurope

As the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation comes into effect, the European Commission has been urged to consider the standards created by European standardization organizations while formulating future design for recycling criteria.

EPBP is optimistic that its partnership with CEN will bolster the recyclability and circularity of PET bottles, facilitating high-quality bottle-to-bottle recycling throughout Europe’s PET bottle industry. This collaboration is expected to contribute to a comprehensive transition towards full circularity.

This liaison role is an important recognition of EPBP’s contribution to advancing PET bottle circularity in Europe. It is a great opportunity for EPBP to bring its extensive expertise to CEN’s discussions on packaging circularity and continue helping companies in the PET bottle industry to design PET bottles for recycling on the path to circularity.

^{Argiris Dabanlis, technical manager of EPBP}

In a previous initiative, EPBP partnered with RecyClass to assist industry stakeholders across the supply chain in optimizing PET bottle production for enhanced recyclability. Key efforts included:

• Eliminating materials that could diminish recyclate quality
• Reducing non-PET components to streamline recyclability
• Redesigning additional elements like closures and labels for easier separation

Since that collaboration, Plastics Recyclers Europe has reported that the average recycled content rate of EU PET beverage bottles stands at 24%. However, it has cautioned that addressing disparities among EU Member States is crucial to meet the EU targets set for 2025.