US recycled PET (rPET) manufacturer Phoenix Technologies International has been given the green light by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to sell its product in Europe.
The EFSA concluded that Phoenix’s extra small particle size that is intended to be used at up to 100 per cent content for the “manufacture of materials and articles for contact with all types of foodstuffs for long term storage at room temperature” was not considered a safety concern.
Phoenix director of commercial operations Lori Carson said: “The reason Phoenix pursued this certification is because many of our rPET customers are large global brand owners who sell their products into the European marketplace.
“This certification gives them an additional comfort level that rPET produced via this process can be used as an up to 100 per cent replacement for virgin PET without any safety issues.”
The company’s proprietary rPET technology is used to produce a variety of packaging containers and bottles for food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, shampoos, soaps and detergents. Its resins are used in non-packaging applications such as strapping, carpeting and others.
