Avantium N.V. has announced that its plant-based plastic polyethene furanoate (PEF), branded as releaf, has received approval from the Council for PET Bottle Recycling (CPBR) for recycling within the Japanese polyethene terephthalate (PET) bottle stream. The approval relates to the use of releaf, produced with Avantium’s YXY Technology, in a multilayer PET bottle.
Avantium
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CPBR is the Japanese industry body responsible for promoting and evaluating the recycling of PET bottles. Setting out voluntary design guidelines for PET bottles, CPBR conducts evaluations of new materials, ensuring compatibility with the country’s advanced recycling systems. Approval from the Body is required for any new material to be accepted into the Japanese PET bottle recycling stream.
“We sincerely thank all the companies in Japan that supported Avantium during the CPBR assessment,” said Yuzhong Chen, Business Development Manager Asia of Avantium. “Their collaboration was vital in demonstrating that releaf can be successfully recycled within Japan’s PET bottle stream while preserving high material quality. This joint effort underscores a shared commitment to advancing plant-based, recyclable packaging solutions in Japan.”
Following the evaluation process, CPBR assessed Avantium’s PEF for use as a barrier layer in multilayer PET bottles. The findings confirmed that it can be safely and effectively recycled within the existing PET stream at concentrations up to 10% weight. The material passed physical, chemical, and processability tests, while also complying with Japan’s Positive List system for food contact plastics, the Standards and Criteria for Foods and Additives issued by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, as well as FDA regulations. The overall recyclability rating for PEF-containing bottles was ranked “A”, proving full suitability for bottle-to-bottle recycling.
