Avantium receives Critical Guidance Recognition from APR

Avantium, an Amsterdam-based technology provider in renewable chemistry, has received Critical Guidance Recognition from the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), Washington. The APR Critical Guidance Protocol is a widely accepted measure for assessing recyclability in plastic packaging design. Avantium earned the recognition for using polyethylene furanoate (PEF), produced with the company’s YXY Technology, in a multilayer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle.  

Avantium developed its YXY Technology to produce furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), a key building block for the 100 percent plant-based and recyclable PEF. Through a combination of sustainability and performance characteristics, PEF can be used in a wide range of applications, including bottles, packaging and textiles. Avantium currently is constructing the world’s first FDCA commercial facility in Delfzijl, Netherlands, which the company says should be operational in 2024, enabling the commercial market launch of PEF.  

PEF can be used in fully plant-based monolayer bottles and also has advantages in combination with PET. For example, PEF can be used in multilayer PET bottles as a barrier material when the required shelf life cannot be guaranteed by a single layer of PET. Currently, many multilayer PET bottles include nylon as a barrier, which is known to cause issues when recycled within the PET recycling stream. 

For APR Critical Guidance testing in the U.S., multilayer PET/PEF bottles containing 7 percent and 10 percent by weight of PEF first were evaluated by a third-party, Plastics Forming Enterprises LLC. The bottles then were reviewed by an independent committee appointed per the APR Recognition Operating Procedures. Avantium demonstrated compatibility with standard PET recycling practices without impacting the physical properties of the recycled PET. The tests concluded that both types of multilayer PET/PEF bottles meet or exceed the strictest APR Critical Guidance criteria.  

“The inclusion of PEF in the prestigious APR Critical Guidance Protocol marks an important milestone in demonstrating the overall recyclability of PEF,” says Bart Langius, commercial director of Avantium Renewable Polymers. “This APR Critical Guidance recognition comes in addition to the already existing interim approval on multilayer PET/PEF and monolayer PEF bottles in Europe by the European PET Bottle Platform (EPBP). With this APR recognition, brand owners and converters can make a confident choice to use PEF as a barrier layer for their PET products. This underlines Avantium’s commitment to enable renewable high-performance solutions that address the beverage industry's need for sustainability and recyclability and thus the transition to a circular economy.”