Klöckner Pentaplast (kp), a rigid and flexible packaging solutions provider, has been awarded the RecyClass Traceability Certification with its new closed-loop module for kp Tray2Tray at its production facility in Pravia, Spain. 

The company claims to have become the first food packaging company to receive this recognition. 

kp Trays managing director Cecilia Guardado said: "We are proud to have obtained the brand-new closed-loop module within the RecyClass Traceability Certification for our Pravia site. We are the very first company to do so. 

"This achievement demonstrates absolute transparency when it comes to the origin of the rPET [recycled polyethylene terephthalate] flake from food trays we use for our kp Tray2Tray initiative." 

In addition to the certification, kp announced the launch of the market's first 100% rPET food packaging trays, derived solely from tray materials. 

Compared to existing food trays, which are made with proportions of recovered PET material, these new kp trays are entirely made from recycled tray materials and are also fully transparent. 

kp senior innovation manager Samuel Pardo said: "RecyClass Traceability Certification with the closed-loop module is a brilliant achievement for kp and its kp Tray2Tray initiative. When we launched this closed-loop initiative in 2020, 3% of our post-consumer recycled material was from kp Tray2Tray.  

“By 2023, 11.4% of our post-consumer recycled material was from kp Tray2Tray, translating to more than 900 million post-consumer trays recovered and used." 

Based in Luxembourg, kp operates a network of 30 plants across 18 countries and has a workforce of more than 5,600. 

The company provides packaging solutions to the pharmaceutical, medical device, and protein markets, among others.