DePoly, a Swiss award-winning cleantech company specializing in advanced recycling solutions for PET and polyester plastics, announced today its collaboration with Plastic Technologies Inc. (PTI), a leader in sustainable plastic packaging design and development. Together, they aim to create a closed-loop recycled PET bottle, significantly contributing to food and beverage packaging sustainability.
Utilizing a mixed stream of feedstock, which comprises PET plastic packaging, polyester fibers, and industrial waste, DePoly employs cutting-edge technology to break down PET and polyester into their fundamental components, producing purified terephthalic acid (PTA).
This virgin-grade quality PTA is then transformed into PET pellets. These pellets are subsequently blown into recycled PET bottles, leveraging PTI’s four decades of expertise and technological advancements in plastic packaging.
Furthermore, DePoly has taken on the challenge of utilizing PET and polyester waste derived from packaging and insulation. Their innovative technology has enabled the production of high-quality PTA, which is processed into bottles through injection stretch blow molding, thereby enhancing food and beverage packaging sustainability.
By collaborating, both companies successfully demonstrated a closed-loop solution for recycling plastics into high-grade bottles. Producing a PET bottle is typically one of the more challenging outcomes, underscoring both PTI’s extensive experience and the maturity of DePoly’s technology. This collaboration showcases a universal approach to recycling PET and polyester.
The results of a preliminary screening analysis of non-intentionally added substances (NIAS) in DePoly’s rPET material indicate compliance with overall and specific migration requirements for PET substances used in food contact. This compliance extends to all types of food stored at room temperature and below, including those subjected to hot fill processes.
“For this project, we truly wanted to challenge ourselves by blending a variety of PET and polyester containing waste streams, which included different additives. Holding this bottle in my hands is a testament to DePoly’s and PTI’s ingenuity and expertise!” stated Dr. Gaetano Dedual, Senior Business Development Manager at DePoly.
“Initially, we were unsure of what to expect from our first processing and prototyping trials with DePoly’s chemically recycled material. For a first attempt, the outcome is promising. With PTI’s technical expertise, the prototyping was successful, and the quality and performance of the produced samples are comparable to those made from virgin PET resin!” said Stéphane Morier, Director of Project Management at PTI.
