Advertisement
PETnology Europe 2024_summiteer
Back

Launch

Monomer Recycling Group launched – enhancing the circularity of PET

Brussels, Belgium

Petcore Europe launches Special Industry Group “PET Monomer Recycling. The industry organization representing the whole PET value chain, launched the “Special Industry Group - SIG” to establish a strong and sustainable value chain in the development of re-using the monomers from PET waste.

What is PET Monomer Recycling?

PET Monomer Recycling is innovative and new.  It opens a completely new perspective on how to deal with the concerns about plastics and plastic waste. Bringing the PET bottles and food containers as well as polyester textiles back to its constituents, monomers or low molecular weight components that allow purification means in principle endless re-use of these PET building blocks.  This is different to Mechanical Recycling where colours, additives and other polymers in multi-layer constructions reduce recyclability. Monomer Recycling avoids down-cycling and allows up-cycling, it is circularity. It helps solving the waste problem by giving all PET waste value. After all efforts from consumers and by the industry to collect and sort the plastic, we can give a guarantee that PET is recycled and does not leave the circle to incineration or landfill.

"PET Monomer Recycling has the potential to double recycled content rates. With only mechanically recycled PET, rates of 30% are the limit, at higher levels of  r-PET content the quality of bottles and trays decreases. PET monomer recycling in combination with mechanical recycling can make recycled content of 70 to 80% feasible on a sustainable basis", stresses Wim Hoenderdaal, Chairman of the new Petcore Europe Special Industry Group.

Petcore Europe, the industry organization representing the whole PET value chain, launched the “Special Industry Group - SIG” to establish a strong and sustainable value chain in the development of re-using the monomers from PET waste.

Christian Crépet, Executive Director of Petcore Europe explains: "The mission of this new group is to facilitate a platform to position PET monomer recycling as a viable addition to the established mechanical recycling process, enhancing the circularity of PET."

The SIG will use the networking and outreach of the Petcore Organization to interact with legislators, regulators, NGOs and other stakeholders to ensure chemical recycling of PET is an acceptable business and fulfills the future requirements of  business environment. The Group will work to ensure health and safety aspects as well as product acceptance is achieved.

 www.petcore-europe.org   www.petmonomerrecycling.org

PETnology's Resource Guide
comPETence center

The comPETence center provides your organisation with a dynamic, cost effective way to promote your products and services.

Find out more

Cover
Our premium articles
comPETence
magazine

Find our premium articles, interviews, reports and more
in 3 issues in 2024.

Find out more
Current issue