rPET is generated by recycling the better-known PET. The big benefit of using rPET is that this plastic is composed of 100 percent recycled PET bottles and is therefore much more resource efficient than “regular” PET. For rPET production, PET bottles are cleaned and shredded and then made into new packaging material by casting. This process saves energy and resources because no crude oil is used. For example, an rPET bottle consumes up to 75 percent less energy in production than a regular plastic bottle. At the same time, this also reduces CO2 emissions. Another ecological aspect of rPET packaging material is that fewer plastic bottles end up in the trash and thus in landfills. And last but not least, rPET bottles are themselves recyclable.
Many food and beverage giants are moving toward using 100% rPET.
From the website coca-colaitalia.it we read, “The new 100% rPET bottles will be used not only for Coca-Cola products, but also for the other brands in the company’s portfolio such as Fanta, Sprite and FuzeTea, for a total of 150 million packs in 2021 made entirely of recycled plastic and a threefold increase in the amount of rPET used compared to last year.”
Also on the Italian market, starting in September 2020 you can see bottles made from 50 percent recycled plastic.
Staying in the Italian context, Ferrarelle SpA, the fourth largest player in the country’s mineral water market, presented INFINITA, the first 100% R-PET line, on World Environment Day 2021. The launch of INFINITA is part of the bottle-to-bottle project, made possible thanks to the recycled PET recycling and production plant in Presenzano, in the province of Caserta, which, as of 2018, processes about 20,000 tons of bottles each year from separate waste collection.
Levissima too-which aims to reach 50 percent recycled PET within its entire range by 2025-launched its 100% R-PET recycled PET line in 0.75 and 1lt sizes in recent months.
These initiatives are part of the transitional and experimental phase of the implementation of new regulations in the area of using recycled polyethylene terephthalate for food use. In fact, current regulations in our country (Ministerial Decree 21/03/1973) stipulate that PET food bottles and trays must contain at least 50 percent virgin PET. However, in Law No. 126 of 13/10/2020, which converts Decree Law 104 of 14/8/20 into law, the production of 100 percent recycled plastic (rPet) bottles was provided for on an experimental basis for the period from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021.
FARMO RES packs rPET
Our PRIMAK7 machine in compact version packs (also) rPET.
PET, the recycling of which generates rPET, is mainly used for the production of bottles and containers for beverages-such as water, carbonated soft drinks, or other beverages and juices-because it provides a good barrier to oxygen, preserves the characteristics of the liquid it contains, and thus ensures hygienic and safety criteria.
rPET, among many positive notes, has that it can, in turn, be recycled. And this triggers a virtuous circle of safeguarding to the environment.
Do you need a thermoforming machine to package products with rPET? Do not hesitate to contact us, we are manufacturers and can customize every detail according to your needs.
+39 0544-981900
⇒ We will exhibit PRIMAK7 – rPET in the upcoming ACHEMA trade fair, in Frankfurt, Germany, from August 22 to 26, 2022. You can find us at Hall 3.1, booth F49!