Topics
PET
October 8, 2025
South Korea’s Ministry of Environment amends Enforcement Decree of the Resource Recycling Act to require 10% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) for plastic beverage bottles made by high-volume fillers and manufacturers starting January 1, 2026; Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry outlines plastic beverage bottle design requirements for certification under Plastic Resource Recycling Promotion Act of 2022 starting January 24, 2026, including minimum 15% recycled PET content
Reading time: 3 minutes
September 2, 2024
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) updates its guidelines for assessing PET recycling processes for materials intended for food contact; applicants must include information on collection, pre-processing, decontamination, post-processing, and intended use; potential dietary exposure of contaminants must not exceed 0.0025 μg/kg body weight per day
Reading time: 1 minute
January 9, 2024
Two studies assess antimony presence and migration from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles sold in Brazil and Turkey; detect antimony in almost all samples and in levels below Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI); find migration to increase with temperature, storage time, and beverage pH
Reading time: 3 minutes
January 4, 2024
Scientists assessed polyethylene terephthalate (PET) trays with different amounts of recycled content and produced by two different extrusion processes; find cyclic oligomer migration increases with recycled content amount, differs between the two processes; nontargeted screening identifies intentional and non-intentional substances, including marker compounds for recycled PET
Reading time: 3 minutes
November 6, 2023
Says true circularity for PET bottles in Europe is unobtainable; limited by current mechanical recycling processes and infrastructure; argues that claims of recyclability and recycled content are misleading; calls for more standardized communication practices
Reading time: 2 minutes
July 17, 2023
Systemiq presents a circular economy blueprint for PET; suggests pathway to reducing landfill and incineration by 70% and greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2040; would require expansion of reuse systems, scaling of recycling infrastructure, and clear regulations; chemical safety of recycled PET remains unclear
Reading time: 2 minutes
July 5, 2023
Reports by Zero Waste Europe (ZWE) and partners examine decarbonization pathways of beverage containers, urge rethinking single-use glass and transition towards reuse, and investigates the economic viability of reusable food packaging
Reading time: 3 minutes
June 13, 2023
Defend Our Health reports production of PET plastic bottles contaminates air, drinking water, and foodstuffs; incineration and mechanical recycling releases potentially harmful chemicals into environment and recyclate; urges beverage companies to act
Reading time: 2 minutes
May 24, 2023
Scientists investigate available research on hazard and exposure of 34 oligomers in PET for food contact; 74% of them found to migrate; only 38% have been tested for their safety using computer models, while only one was tested for safety in organisms; authors call for further research and better risk assessment
Reading time: 2 minutes
August 11, 2022
Two studies analyze polyethylene terephthalate (PET) chemicals; identify several volatile chemicals present in and migrating from new PET bottles as well as from bottles commercially available in Japan; develop online method for quantifying non-intentionally added substances (NIAS)
Reading time: 4 minutes
