June 14, 2004 -- Belgium -- Petcore announced that in 2003, more PET bottles were collected and recycled than ever before. The number of European PET bales offered to the recycling markets jumped from 449,000 tonnes in 2002, to 612,000 tonnes in 2003. This represents a growth rate of 36 percent, significantly more than was forecasted. Trends in market outlets remain unchanged, with bottle-to-bottle recycling showing an increase from 8.1% in 2002, to 11.1% in 2003. Other RPET outlets: polyester fibre 70.4%, polyester sheet 7.5%, and strapping 7.6%.

Exceptionally high growth rates were seen in Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Slovakia, the Baltic states and in Ireland. Virtually all other countries showed growth as well. Large increases were also observed in Germany and for the first time in many years: the United Kingdom. There is one caveat: Germany and the UK were also the countries contributing most to the increase of bottle export to China.

The emergence of several barrier materials for PET containers used in beverages has opened up new possibilities in packaging. Beverages such as fruit juices, dairy products, beer, and even some carbonated soft drinks, rely on enhanced barrier properties now offered on the market. Petcore’s guidelines offer product developers a tool to assess the recyclability profile of barrier solutions.

Click here to view more current news articles