New Delhi : FSSAI’s recent guidelines on use of r-PET as a food contact material, is set to give a huge fillip to circular economy in India. This guideline also aligns well with The Plastic waste Management Rules 2016 (as amended from time to time), which mandates the use of 30 per cent recycled content in rigid plastic packaging and is already effective from April 1, 2025.
Commenting on the recently released guidelines by FSSAI, Shailendra Singh, Director General of Association of PET Recyclers (Bharat) – APR Bharat, said, “It is a significant move by the regulator and is expected to fast track the adoption of recycled PET in food-contact packaging in a big way thereby giving a huge boost to the country’s circular economy.”
According to Mr. Singh, a combined investment of Rs 7500-8000 crores has been made into world class PET recycling plants, capable of making the safest grade of r-PET to be used as a food contact material. This investment is estimated to generate 10,000 new jobs and also benefit the rag picker community of over 2 million people who collect post-consumer PET bottles and send them for recycling.
The industry, which has already created a capacity of close to 4 lakh MT (commissioned), is hopeful of taking it up to 7.5 lakh MT by 2027 and further increase the installed capacity to 11 lakh MT by 2030. These capacities are being built across the country.
The current mandate requires using 30 per cent recycled content for rigid packaging, and there is more than adequate capacity available to meet emerging demand for r-PET, he said and also added that with the guidelines being notified by FSSAI a significant chunk of capacities will also be made available very soon, thereby enabling producers and brand owners to meet their targets of use of recycled PET content.
