Austria-based machinery supplier Starlinger has announced the provision of two of its polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle-to-bottle recycling lines to Indian plastic recycling company Srichakra Polyplast.

The Indian company has ordered two of Starlinger’s recoSTAR PET 165 iV+PET bottle-to-bottle recycling lines.

Delivery of the recycling lines is expected at the start of next year.

Srichakra already has one Starlinger recoSTAR recycling line installed at its production facility in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It has been operational since 2021.

This was the first bottle-to-bottle recycling line provided and installed by Starlinger in India.

Srichakra Polyplast will use these recycling lines to manufacture and supply food-grade recycled PET (rPET) for the production of Coca-Cola India’s new 100% rPET water bottles.

Coca-Cola India recently announced its decision to use 100% rPET packaging in its packaged drinking water brand Kinley.

The beverage company’s move to rPET bottles came after the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) approved the use of rPET in manufacturing food packaging in the country.

Srichakra Polyplast managing director Ravindra PV said: “We are proud to supply the recycled PET resin for India’s first beverage bottle that is made from 100% rPET.

“With Starlinger’s PET recycling process, which has received positive opinions from EFSA [European Food Safety Authority] and approvals from FSSAI, we ensure thorough decontamination of the PET in the recycling process and produce food-safe rPET pellets for PET bottle preform production and other types of food packaging.”

Starlinger’s recoSTAR PET 165 iV+PET bottle-to-bottle recycling line has been designed primarily to process post-consumer PET bottles.

The final product, rPET pellets, manufactured using recoSTAR PET 165 iV+, are safe for food contact and can be utilised for packaging various food and beverage products such as water bottles, carbonated soft drinks, and food trays.