The Union of European non-alcoholic beverage associations (UNESDA) and the European Federation of Bottled Waters (EFBW) are recommending members to adhere to specific design criteria for PET bottles to improve recyclability.
They warn that added barriers, additives, full body sleeves and opaque colouring lead to deterioration in the quality of recycled PET, and negatively impact bottle-to-bottle recycling.
UNESDA and EFBW recommend members to implement the Design for Recycling Guidelines, a set of criteria established by the European PET Bottle Platform (EPBP).
“We are encouraging all our member companies and the wider industry to review their current and new PET bottle specifications against the EPBP Guidelines for resource-efficient PET packaging,” says Cees Van Dongen, head of packaging issues in UNESDA.
EFBW and UNESDA hope members will reach compliance with the EPBP guidelines by the end of 2012.
