Japan approves Avantium’s plant-based PEF plastic for PET bottle recycling

Releaf, a plant-based plastic polyethylene furanoate (PEF) developed by Avantium, a Dutch company specializing in renewable and circular polymer materials, has received official approval for recycling within the Japanese PET bottle stream.

Avantium earned the approval of the Japanese Council for PET Bottle Recycling (CPBR) for the use of Releaf in multilayer PET bottles. The company’s YXY technology enables such recycling, allowing businesses to meet a crucial condition for the adoption of PEF in Japan’s beverage packaging industry.

Yuzhong Chen, business development manager for Asia at Avantium, says: “We thank all the companies in Japan that supported Avantium during the CPBR assessment.”

“Their collaboration was vital in demonstrating that Releaf can be successfully recycled within Japan’s PET bottle stream while preserving high material quality. This joint effort underscores a shared commitment to advancing plant-based, recyclable packaging solutions in Japan.”

Avantium develops and commercializes innovative technologies for the production of materials based on carbon feedstocks, such as carbon from biomass or carbon from the air. 

The YXY technology is said to be its most advanced, catalytically converting plant-based sugars into furandicarboxylic acid, the key building block for PEF. 

PET recycling in Japan

The CPBR is Japan’s industry body responsible for promoting and evaluating the recycling of PET bottles. 

The group also sets voluntary design guidelines for PET bottles and evaluates new materials to ensure compatibility with Japan’s advanced recycling systems. 

An approval from the CPBR is necessary for any material to be accepted into the Japanese PET bottle recycling stream. This aims to ensure the maintenance of the integrity and efficiency of the country’s recycling infrastructure. 

Japan’s CPBR found Avantium’s PEF to be fully compatible with its PET bottle recycling stream.The CPBR’s assessment report for Avantium’s Releaf brand PEF for use as a barrier layer in multilayer PET bottles confirms that PEF can be safely and effectively recycled within the existing PET stream at concentrations up to 10% of the total packaging weight. 

Anvantium says its material met “key tests” for physical, chemical, and processability criteria. It was shown to be compliant with Japan’s Positive List system for food contact plastics, the Standards and Criteria for Foods and Additives issued by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, as well as FDA regulations.

The final recyclability rating for PEF-containing bottles was “A”, indicating full suitability for bottle-to-bottle recycling. 

International recyclability recognition

The Releaf PEF material was also recognized as recyclable by the European PET Bottle Platform and the US Association of Plastic Recyclers.

Recently, Avantium began providing PEF for food and cosmetic packs to Tereos, LVMH, and the Dutch plastic provider Royal Hordijk. 

Caroline van Reedt Dortland, the company’s communications director, spoke to Packaging Insights about what makes PEF a compelling alternative to nylon in multilayer PET bottles. 

Anvantium expects these endorsements to empower brand owners and converters to “confidently” adopt PEF as a barrier layer to support the beverage industry’s transition to “renewable, high-performance, and recyclable” packaging.