Sustainable chemicals company Indorama Ventures has entered into a new partnership with European sustainable rigid and flexible food packaging solutions provider AMB.
The companies intend to manufacture recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) flakes by recycling PET food tray packaging.
These high-quality rPET flakes can then be used for producing new food packaging trays, contributing to a circular economy system.
This collaborative effort is set to help the companies divert more than 50 million post-consumer PET trays from reaching landfills by the end of 2025.
Indorama's deputy group CEO and Combined PET executive president DK Agarwal said: “Each new partnership with sustainable packaging leaders like AMB smooths the path towards a circular economy for PET trays and extends the PET life cycle.
“This means we use less raw materials while the process results in less waste and emissions.”
Indorama will use its recycling technology and expertise to produce rPET flakes using post-consumer trays at its facility in Verdun, France, and then supply them to AMB for manufacturing food-grade transparent film.
The process will further increase the overall recycled content obtained from trays in AMB’s final products.
AMB's CPO Paolo Cescutti said: “Consumers are mindful of sustainability and food safety and want a guarantee that the food trays they use are recyclable.
“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.”
Previously, AMB introduced its tray-to-tray recycling brand ‘AMB TrayRevive’ to support recyclable packaging.
These efforts by AMB are also in line with Indorama’s commitment to boost PET recycling rates globally, with a target of achieving 750,000 tons of post-consumer PET bale input per year, until 2025.
Last year, Indorama and Carbios collaborated to set up a manufacturing plant for biorecycled rPET.
