DePoly, PTI collaborate on rPET bottle

DePoly, a Switzerland-based company that specializes in the advanced recycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyester plastics, has collaborated with packaging design company Plastic Technologies Inc. (PTI), also based in Switzerland, to create a closed-loop recycled PET (rPET) bottle.

Using a mixed stream of feedstock, such as PET from packaging, polyester fiber and industrial scrap, DePoly says its technology has broken down the PET and polyester into their raw monomers, or purified terephthalic acid (PTA), and turned it into PET pellets that are then blown into rPET bottles using PTI’s technology.

“We did not really know what to expect from the first processing and prototyping trials with DePoly’s chemically recycled material," PTI Director of Project Management Stéphane Morier says. "For a premiere, the outcome is promising. With PTI’s technical expertise, the prototyping went well and the quality and performance of the produced samples are similar to a control made from a virgin PET resin.”

DePoly says it set out to challenge itself by using PET and polyester plastic scrap from packaging and insulation for the project.

“This project demonstrates the strengths of bringing together the technical robustness of DePoly and PTI’s extensive expertise in plastic packaging processing and manufacturing,” DePoly says, adding that blowing a PET bottle generally is one of the more challenging end products to make, and that the development of the bottle highlights the experience and maturity of both companies' technology.

DePoly says that, in parallel to the bottle sampling, the conclusion of a preliminary screening analysis of nonintentionally added substances (NIAS) in DePoly rPET material shows the tested sample complies with the overall and specific migration requirements for the PET typical substances in contact with all types of food at any long-term storage at room temperature and below, including hot fill.

“For this project we really wanted to challenge ourselves, taking a mixture of different PET and polyester containing waste streams that are blended and have different additives,” says Gaetano Dedual, DePoly senior business development manager. “Being able to hold this bottle in my hands is a testament to DePoly’s and PTI’s ingenuity and expertise.”