Why You Need to Increase rPET Supply Now 

As brand owners make pledges to use recycled packaging, there is concern among brand owners and converters alike that there will not be enough recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) materials available for companies to fill out their promises. In fact, if brands follow through on their pledges, a report from the global firm McKinsey & Company states demand for rPET in the U.S. will surpass its available supply by three times by 2030. 

Learn why this is the case and how one innovation could provide a solution to increasing the overall rPET material yield.  

As more companies create sustainable goals, the demand for rPET packaging material increases.  

However, rPET material can be challenging to obtain, because it can only occur if the PET recycling stream was not contaminated. Contamination can include labels or adhesive residue that remain on the virgin PET even after the wash-off process. 

If there is contamination, there may not be enough cleaned, virgin PET that gets yielded to be turned into rPET. This can lead to more virgin PET being developed. Even though virgin PET is technically recyclable, brand owners often do not want to use this PET, because its creation contributes to more energy usage and carbon emissions, hindering their overall sustainability initiative. With rPET, energy usage can be kept low while also keeping plastic in the circular system for second or third generational use.  

However, if virgin PET is not able to be cleanly yielded to keep up with rPET demand in the first place, then more virgin PET needs to be created.  

Other Factors to Consider with Meeting rPET Supply Demands 

In the report, Mckinsey & Company says more than 80 percent of PET material is not being recycled. Aside from notably low recycling rates in the U.S., a lack of set standards across local recycling programs is also playing a factor. Since recycling programs are often organized at a local level, virgin PET recycling is not always prioritized due to infrastructure or transportation costs, as well as governmental mandates. Further, there are missed opportunities to form public-private partnerships for increasing local collection rates in underfunded places or locations that do not conduct curbside recycling. Additionally, not all local recycling programs can afford investments into advanced sortation equipment to enhance rPET supply.  

While these complexities are often occurring at the local level, more state legislators are passing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws for brand owners, which forces them to pay a tax that accounts for their products’ end-of-life disposal process. While the tax varies state to state, there is incentive for brand owners to use recyclable materials so they will not have to pay the tax. With more states passing this legislation, brand owners feel the pressure to utilize rPET material whenever possible, even if there are complexities with local recycling efforts or, as mentioned above, finding wash-off solutions to avoid contamination.

While a general-purpose wash-off label adhesive can help increase rPET circularity to some extent, an all-temperature, wash-off label adhesive solution overcomes limitations typically found with general-purpose options. 

• Extended temperature range: Unlike general-purpose, an all-temperature solution provides good tack and quick grab capabilities down to 0°F (-17° C). This means the adhesive will achieve full performance on freezer-grade and cold fill packaging applications, helping expand rPET creation into this segment of food packaging.  

• Simplified processing: As a coater-ready, fully-formulated solution, the all-temperature, wash-off label adhesive is compatible with water-based emulsion equipment, allowing converters to use what they already own by simply adding it to their production line. Additionally, unlike other options, it does not require pretreatment, which further streamlines production. Further, its all-temperature range capabilities enable them to rely on one adhesive solution for all food packaging, reducing downtime for changeouts. 

• APR certification: The all-temperature, wash-off label adhesive has already exceeded or met APR Critical Guidance for PET recycling, ensuring the adhesive solution will provide the capabilities for clean separation to increase rPET. By using a solution already proven to meet the APR standards, converters will save valuable time and resources that they otherwise may need to utilize for a general-purpose solution. 

Bostik’s all-temperature, wash-off label adhesive, Flexcryl™ ClearCycle 1000, has been developed as a direct response to improving rPET circularity and overcomes general-purpose wash-off label adhesive limitations. This APR-approved, water-based solution can help the packaging industry increase rPET material by enhancing recyclability with thermoform, bottle and clamshell applications. Contact a Bostik expert to learn how our all-temperature, wash-off label adhesive can help expand abilities to increase rPET creation while maintaining performance and streamlined processing.  

Other relevant content: 

On-Demand Webinar: Understanding the Value of an All-Temperature, Wash-Off Label Adhesive 

Why Label Converters Should Prioritize Mechanical Circularity 

Address Key Challenges to Achieve Label Circularity 

FAQ: Understanding the First All-Temperature, Wash-off Label Adhesive 

Get in the Know on PET Plastic Recycling