
khwanchai | stock.adobe.com
Amsterdam-based Avantium N.V., which specializes in renewable and circular polymer materials, has signed a capacity reservation agreement with Royal Hordijk, a Netherlands-based plastic packaging producer.
Under the agreement, Hordijk has secured volumes of Avantium’s 100 percent plant-based and recyclable PEF (polyethylene furanoate) polymer from future license plants for use in trays and injection molded packaging across a range of applications, including food, cosmetics and other consumer goods.
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Avantium says PEF, marketed under the brand name Releaf, is produced entirely from renewable feedstock and is recyclable. The company claims PEF has a significantly lower carbon footprint than polyethylene terephthalate (PET), glass and aluminum and provides superior barrier properties against oxygen, CO2 and water vapor. The company adds that PEF’s features extend product shelf life and reduce food scrap, while its mechanical features also enable lightweighting and design flexibility in packaging applications.
“This collaboration with Hordijk underscores the growing demand for high-performance, plant-based materials in the packaging industry,” Avantium Commercial Director Bineke Posthumus says. “We are proud to support Hordijk’s ambition to lead in sustainable innovation and look forward to seeing PEF-based solutions reach the market.”
By incorporating PEF into its portfolio, Hordijk says it aims to further reduce the environmental footprint of its packaging while enhancing performance characteristics such as barrier properties and mechanical strength. The companies say the PEF being supplied under this agreement is expected to be produced at future industrial-scale facilities licensed by Avantium, and the multiyear capacity reservation ensures Hordijk preferred access to PEF volumes, supporting its long-term sustainability goals and enabling the development of new packaging formats.
“At Hordijk, we are constantly looking for ways to innovate and reduce our environmental impact,” CEO Rik Hennink says. “Partnering with Avantium to secure access to PEF aligns perfectly with our sustainability roadmap. We believe that PEF’s unique properties will allow us to offer our customers packaging solutions that are not only high-performing but also future-proof.”
Multilayer botter receives RecyClass validation
Avantium's PEF/PET multilayer bottle recently received recognition as fully compatible with the PET recycling stream following an evaluation by RecyClass, the European nonprofit initiative focused on plastics circularity.
According to Avantium, the RecyClass PET technical committee evaluated the PEF/PET multilayer bottle, which contains 10 percent Releaf RP90N, through lab tests by PTI-Europe and Plastics Forming Enterprises. Avantium says results confirmed full compatibility with the PET recycling stream under the conditions outlined in an approval letter issued to the polymers company from RecyClass.
RecyClass works with the Washington-based Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) to harmonize recyclability recommendations and testing procedures. PEF received APR Critical Guidance Recognition in 2023.
With both approvals, Avantium says brand owners confidently can adopt PEF as a recyclable barrier layer. Additionally, the company says RecyClass validation supports favorable acceptance by national producer responsibility organizations (PROs), which oversee compliance with EPR regulations and determine packaging-related EPR fees.
"This recognition by RecyClass clearly demonstrates that PEF can be successfully integrated into the PET recycling stream," Avantium Director of Public Affairs Ingrid Goumans says. "By offering a 100 percent high-barrier polyester solution, the PEF/PET multilayer bottle opens new possibilities for sustainable packaging. It gives brand owners and converters the confidence to adopt PEF as a functional barrier layer in their PET applications."
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