Indorama Ventures and AMB Partner to Drive Circularity in PET Food Tray Packaging

A novel technology aimed at enhancing the recycling of PET food trays is gaining substantial traction as AMB Spa forges a partnership with Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited. This collaboration is centered around utilizing recycled PET tray flakes to create food-grade film suitable for packaging trays.

AMB Spa, a prominent European supplier specializing in sustainable solutions for rigid and flexible packaging within the food industry, is the latest entity to team up with Indorama Ventures, a renowned global leader in sustainable chemicals. Through industry collaborations focused on producing recycled PET (rPET) flake tailored for the food packaging sector, Indorama Ventures is taking crucial strides toward establishing a circular economy for PET trays.

The partnership between Indorama Ventures and AMB Spa is poised to divert over 150 million post-consumer PET trays away from undesirable fates such as landfills or incineration by the culmination of 2025. Leveraging pioneering technology, Indorama Ventures is positioned to supply rPET flakes sourced from post-consumer trays, which AMB will incorporate into the creation of food-grade transparent film. This integration elevates the recycled content derived from trays within AMB's final products.

Paolo Cescutti, Chief Procurement Officer at AMB, emphasized the growing consumer consciousness regarding sustainability and food safety. He highlighted the importance of offering guarantees regarding the recyclability of food trays. The recycled material generated through the collaboration with Indorama Ventures empowers the transformation of plastic waste into secure, food-grade packaging. This development assures both food processors and consumers that AMB's products embody genuine recyclability and food safety. Cescutti expressed pride in being at the forefront of introducing this advancement to the market in partnership with Indorama Ventures' expertise.

After dedicating over 72 months to intensive research and development, Indorama Ventures successfully achieved commercial production of rPET flakes from post-consumer trays at its facility in Verdun, France. This technological breakthrough translates to the diversion of countless post-consumer PET trays from undesirable disposal methods like landfills or incineration.

DK Agarwal, Deputy Group CEO and Executive President of the Combined PET business segment at Indorama Ventures, noted that forging partnerships with leaders in sustainable packaging, such as AMB, significantly paves the way toward a circular economy for PET trays. This trajectory optimizes the PET lifecycle, leading to reduced consumption of raw materials, minimized waste generation, and lowered emissions. Agarwal underscored that Indorama Ventures was an early advocate of PET food tray recyclability, driven by a commitment to establishing a circular economy that prevents the accumulation of used products in landfills or their incineration. With the technical capabilities firmly established, the company is excited to witness the widespread adoption of this transformative process.

As a precursor to this partnership, AMB introduced its 'AMB TrayRevive' recycling brand in 2022, aiming to bolster infrastructure supporting recyclable packaging. This initiative aligns with AMB's overarching sustainability strategy, contributing to the EU's goal of ensuring that all packaging is scalable for recycling and transformation into recycled raw materials by 2035.

In alignment with Indorama Ventures' commitment to elevating global PET recycling rates, this announcement aligns seamlessly. The company aspires to achieve an annual input of 750,000 tons of post-consumer PET bales by 2025, making it the largest producer of recycled resin used in plastic beverage bottles.

Investments and collaborations of this nature infuse consumers with confidence in the recyclability of their food packaging. Concurrently, brands are empowered to invest in the construction of circular economies by actively opting for recycled products. As momentum surges, the scope of applications expands, birthing a novel industry centered around recycled PET as a sustainable packaging solution.