EuPR PET Working Group: Pet Bottles should not be made from blends

EuPR Working group PET (www.eupr.org) and their associated members will in the future have to discriminate certain PET polymer blends in bottles in order to safeguard the total value of the PET recycling stream.

By design, PET bottles use different polymers for their component parts. For example the labels and caps are not PET, which in most cases is not an issue as good polymer choice allows efficient recycling. However problems will be created if the main body of the bottle is composed of PET polymer blends. The addition of this type of blended polymer bottle to present collection systems will create a mixture of PET bottles which will be polluted for further recycling since the identification and removal of this type of bottle is not possible with present day installed technology - to allow it to remain will in most cases create a recyclate with little or no commercial value.

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If necessary for specific end markets, other alternatives for the modification of PET can be found in coating technology and/or 3 layer structures which have been tested and approved for recycling. PETCORE has published guidelines in 2003 for the testing of barrier materials and additives and these are now well accepted in the marketplace. EuPR supports these guidelines for barrier materials.

As of today it is certain that no polymer blend will be approved for recycling applying the present guidelines. Therefore EuPR urges strongly this position to be supported by the PET industry even though this may create difficulties for the marketing strategy of some PET producers. Responsibility for the PET chain and the necessity to maintain the efficiency and value of the overall recycling system should be more than sufficient to discourage the active marketing of PET blends and maintain the growth of PET and its recyclability.

EuPR is determined to highlight and monitor the development of these PET blends. The legislative targets for plastic recycling in Europe have already been set out and PET will play a major roll in this.

EuPR and specifically its PET Working Group are and will be very active in co-operation with the industry to create sustainable applications for recycled PET.

European Plastics Recyclers, Brussels, Belgium

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