Thai recycling firm Envicco on 6 August announced the introduction of 100pc food-grade recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) bottles to Thailand's food and beverage industry.
Envicco is a joint venture between Thai petrochemical producer, PTT Global Chemical and Austrian plastics manufacturer Alpla. The firm's rPET has been adopted by beverage brands Pepsi and Mineré to produce the 100pc rPET bottles for commercial use.
The post-consumer plastic feedstock for mechanical recycling operations at the Rayong facility is 100pc sourced domestically, said managing director of Envicco, Natthatun Sirirak.
Envicco in March this year gained approval from the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to use post-consumer recycled material in food contact packaging. Thailand is one of few southeast Asian countries that allow rPET material with food contact applications. rPET food contact approval is more common in European countries and the US where there is an widely accepted definition of "food-grade" rPET. This is backed by regulatory authorities such as the European Food Safety Authority and the US FDA.
Envicco's recycling facility based in Rayong province, Thailand was established in September 2022. It has a production capacity of 30,000 t/yr of rPET and 15,000 t/yr of recycled high-density polyethylene.
