Page 49 - Plastic News November 2023

BUSINESS NEWS

Berlin Packaging and APR partner to assess recyclability of PET bottles

post-consumer recycled content.
APR technical consultant John Standish
said: “Clear PET bottles made from
a known virgin resin are required to
conduct APR test protocols.
“Sourcing the test bottles, perhaps 20
to 100 units per test variable, can be
a challenge for some companies, who
may be experts in labels or adhesives,
but not in PET bottles.
“Finding the right bottles can be cost-
ly, with long lead times. Our partner-
ship with Berlin helps to overcome
this challenge and facilitates the pro-
he initiative will allow participat- Berlin Packaging, a hybrid packaging cess of securing PET test bottles for
Ting companies to receive the solutions provider, is a member of the companies seeking APR Design Rec-
APR's Design Recognition verification. APR. ognition.”
Berlin Packaging has collaborated with As part of this effort, Berlin Packaging The APR Design Guide can be used
US-based non-profit organisation the is required to send small quantities of for classifying the features of package
Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) PET bottles to undergo recyclability design into four recyclability catego-
to introduce a sample bottle pro- test protocols at third-party testing ries.
gramme. laboratories to secure the APR’s De- These categories include – APR De-
sign for Recyclability Recognition. sign Guide Preferred, Detrimental to
The programme aims to assist in the
designing and testing of recyclable This guide is designed to help com- Recycling, Renders Package Non-Re-
polyethylene terephthalate (PET) panies ensure that the design of their cyclable, and Requires Testing.
plastic packaging. packaging is fully recyclable and can According to Berlin Packaging, the
easily be converted into high-quality, APR Design for Recyclability Recog-
nition helps in providing a third-party
validation that PET bottles or a pack-
aging component’s design are in ad-
herence with North American recy-
cling standards.
“Our mission is to promote a sustain-
ability culture along our entire value
chain, from suppliers and customers
to local communities where we oper-
ate and allied organisations. Berlin’s
partnership with APR builds upon our
mission and expands our collabora-
tions with like-minded organisations
championing sustainability.”

PLASTICS NEWS 4949
November 2023 PLASTICS NEWS