Researchers from the Wageningen Food & Biobased Research are discovering the effects of rPET on the properties of the bottles and on the quality of the contents of the bottles. Based on the results of this research, businesses can make a well-founded decision to use a certain level of rPET in their bottles.
Testing Influence of rPET in Food Migration
The main research question was whether and to what extent the use of rPET influences the
migration of substances to the contents of the bottle, the degree of
haze and discoloration of the bottles, and the strength of the bottle. Three types of rPET available on the market, with different qualities, were used in the study.
Hundreds of bottles were created at a small production location. The bottles were produced with different concentrations of rPET, specifically: 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% rPET. In addition, bottles were produced with 100% virgin PET.
Conclusions and Recommendations
The material properties of PET bottles are influenced by the quality of the recycled material (rPET) and the grade in which it is used in the bottles. Recycled PET contains contaminants that can accumulate through
successive recycling.
This causes
PET bottles to become darker, yellower, and less transparent with every cycle. Furthermore, more substances migrate. These risks can be limited by opting for high-quality rPET, e.g. from a mono-collection system such as the deposit refund system.
Source: Wageningen Food & Biobased Research