According to market research firm Mordor Intelligence's "plastic bottle Market - growth, trends, COVID-19's impact and forecast (2022-2027 years)", the global plastic bottle and container market in 2019 was $166 billion 780 million, and it is expected to reach US $224 billion 970 million by 2025.
For many consumer brands, the type of plastic they seek is evolving. This evolution is influenced by the growing attention and demand of consumers for sustainable packaging solutions.
"Sustainable packaging is becoming more and more important. Consumers want to buy products with sustainable packaging, and young consumers are the driving force behind this trend. They are willing to spend more money for brands that meet their values." Said the president of a famous local beverage consumption enterprise in the United States.
Considering the importance of packaging to consumer experience, consumer brands attach great importance to the selection of appropriate packaging materials, which can not only meet the needs of sustainable development, but also meet the practical and economic needs of business.
RPET is the key to sustainable packaging commitment
For more than 40 years, PET packaging has provided sustainability, value and consumer appeal, and is the material of choice for many brands and retailers. Light weight, damage resistance, and recyclability are all features that improve the consumer experience and help achieve sustainable recycling.
The use of post consumer recycled PET (RPET) is a key part of the brand company's commitment to sustainable packaging in the circular economy. One of the characteristics of pet is that it can be recycled mechanically or chemically so that it can be reused for food grade packaging.
Coca Cola, Pepsi Cola, Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) and other companies have promised to increase the use of RPET packaging in their business. Coca Cola aims to make its packaging 100% recyclable worldwide by 2025 and use at least 50% recyclable materials in packaging by 2030. PepsiCo plans to design 100% of its packaging to be recyclable, compostable or biodegradable, while reducing 35% of its original plastic in its beverage portfolio. KDP will convert 100% of its packaging into recyclable or compostable by 2025, and reduce 20% of its primary plastics in its plastic packaging portfolio by 2025.
How is 100% RPET implemented?
Hohes C brand from Eckes granini also cooperates with KHS group to make its 1-liter PET bottle more environmentally friendly. By may2021, the bottle has been produced by 100% RPET.
"In view of the EU's plastic strategy and the related increase in the quota of recycled materials, we now decide to completely turn to recycled PET. We hope to become a pioneer in the field of circular economy and set an example in the beverage industry." Hermann Naumann, manager of Eckes granini plant in bad Fallingbostel, Lower Saxony, Germany, explained, "our goal is to continue to reduce the carbon dioxide footprint generated in production and packaging. This includes both reducing material consumption and making the material cycle closed-loop."
In the case of Eckes granini, the specification of KHS is clear: use 100% RPET while maintaining the consistency of container quality. Eckes granini claims that hohes C can save more than 4000 tons of native pet per year. According to the bottling company, this can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 8000 tons a year.
This ambitious project is not only to save resources, but also to check the realizability of innopet freshsafe, which is already in use. The innopet freshsafe system from KHS is different. It uses integrated coating technology to transplant a very thin layer of glass (SiOx) to the inner surface of PET bottles. In this way, the food can be kept fresh and longer. Matthias Kruse, technical director of KHS pet, said: "in order to do this, we evaluated the quality of recycled PET materials. This is very important because huge differences in color, molecular length and non-uniformity can quickly reduce production efficiency."
It is necessary to reform the heater of the blow molding machine in order to optimize the manufacture of bottles. There is no need to make significant changes to the geometric characteristics of the system or bottle embryo. "Using this method, we achieved very high process efficiency while maintaining the same container quality, so as to fully meet the customer's requirements," Kruse said
After using 100% RPET, the barrier protection advantage of freshsafe pet can still be used. The coating on the Eckes granini bottle can be easily washed off during the recycling process. Therefore, sustainable packaging alternatives make homologous bottle to bottle recycling possible. "They have demonstrated the forward-looking role of grakeni in the recycling of pet and eckeni products again." Kruse said.
By the end of 2022, Eckes granini Deutschland plans to use PET bottles made entirely of RPET for all brands, which can save about 9000 metric tons of new plastic per year.
Local policies promote the development and application of RPET
The policies of various countries and regions are also promoting the development and application of RPET in sustainable packaging.
California passed the first legislation on the content standard of recycled plastic bottles in the United States: from January 1, 2022, all "California return value" plastic beverage containers in California must use at least 15% recycled materials, 25% by 2025 and 50% by 2030. Recently, Washington passed similar legislation. From 2023, bottles (except 187ml of dairy products and wine) will need to contain 15% PCR.
The UK has begun to levy plastic packaging tax. Plastic packaging tax of 200 pounds per ton (about 1900 yuan) will be levied on plastic packaging with less than 30% of recycled plastics.
As the first country in Asia to introduce the National Plastic plan, India's policy stipulates that the average recycled plastic content of all plastic packaging will reach 25% by 2030.
It can be expected that with the promotion of policies, more and more brands will promise to use PCR to realize the sustainability of packaging.
