Indorama Ventures, AMB Spa partner to use rPET in food packaging

San Daniele del Friuli, Italy-based packaging producer AMB Spa is partnering with Bangkok, Thailand-based Indorama Ventures Public Co. Ltd.  to use flake from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) trays to produce film suitable for food packaging trays.

The companies say the partnership aims to divert more than 150 million postconsumer PET trays away from landfills or incineration by the end of 2025. They add that new technology will allow Indorama Ventures to supply rPET flakes from postconsumer trays for AMB to use in making food-grade transparent film, increasing the recycled content sourced from trays in AMB’s end products.

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“Consumers are mindful of sustainability and food safety and want a guarantee that the food trays they use are recyclable,” AMB Chief Procurement Officer Paolo Cescutti says. “The recycled material now possible through our partnership with Indorama Ventures means we can divert more plastic waste to become safe, food-grade packaging. Food processors and consumers can be confident that AMB products offer true recyclability and food safety. We are proud to be one of the pioneers in bringing this to market with Indorama Ventures’ expertise.”

After more than 72 months of research and development, Indorama Ventures says it was able to produce rPET flakes from postconsumer trays commercially at its facility in Verdun, France. The resulting recycling technology will divert millions of postconsumer PET trays from landfills or incineration, the company adds.

“Each new partnership with sustainable packaging leaders like AMB smooths the path towards a circular economy for PET trays and extends the PET lifecycle,” says DK Agarwal, deputy group CEO and executive president of the combined PET business segment at Indorama Ventures. “This means we use less raw materials while the process results in less waste and emissions. Indorama Ventures was one of the first to invest in PET food tray recyclability because we support the creation of a circular economy to prevent used products ending up in landfill or being incinerated. Having developed the technical ability, we are excited to see this process gain traction.”

As a precursor to the partnership, AMB launched its tray-to-tray recycling brand, AMB TrayRevive, in 2022, to develop infrastructure supporting recyclable packaging. The company says the project was designed to be part of its overall sustainability strategy in support of the European Union target to have all packaging be recyclable at scale and to be converted into recycled raw materials by 2035.

Indorama Ventures says this partnership fits in line with its commitment to increase PET recycling rates globally, with the goal to achieve 750,000 tons of postconsumer PET bale input every year by 2025.