Thailand-based Indorama Ventures has collaborated with AMB, a European supplier of sustainable solutions, to advance circularity in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) food tray packaging.
Under the partnership, AMB will use flakes from recycled PET trays to make the film suitable for food packaging trays. With the use of modern technology, Indorama will provide AMB with recycled PET (rPET) flakes from post-consumer trays for use in producing food-grade transparent film.
Indorama, a sustainable chemical company, said that the move is expected to increase the amount of recycled material from trays used in AMB’s finished goods.
The firm has produced rPET flakes from post-consumer trays commercially at its facility in Verdun, France after more than 72 months of research and development.
By the end of 2025, the collaboration with AMB anticipates saving more than 150 million post-consumer PET trays from going to a landfill or being burned.
AMB chief procurement officer Paolo Cescutti said: “The recycled material now possible through our partnership with Indorama Ventures means we can divert more plastic waste, to become safe, food-grade packaging.
“Food processors and consumers can be confident that AMB products offer true recyclability and food safety. We are proud to be one of the pioneers in bringing this to market with Indorama Ventures’ expertise.”
In 2022, AMB introduced its tray-to-tray recycling brand AMB TrayRevive to create infrastructure supporting recyclable packaging.
The partnership also aligns with Indorama’s goal to boost PET recycling rates globally and achieve 750,000 tons of post-consumer PET bale input every year by 2025.
Indorama Ventures Combined PET business segment EP and deputy group CEO DK Agarwal said: “This means we use less raw materials while the process results in less waste and emissions.
“Indorama Ventures was one of the first to invest in PET food tray recyclability because we support the creation of a circular economy to prevent used products from ending up in landfill and or being incinerated. Having developed the technical ability, we are excited to see this process gain traction.”