RecyClass (Brussels; www.recyclass.eu) said it and the European PET Bottle Platform (EPBP; www.epbp.org) have jointly awarded recyclability approval to the 66UV11964 UV blocker manufactured by US supplier Penn Color (Doylestown, Pennsylvania; www.penncolor.com). The approval was said to have followed independent testing that showed the product to be compatible with the clear transparent and coloured PET bottle recycling streams in Europe.

The blocker reportedly can be used in PET bottles to safeguard UV-sensitive contents against photodegradation when exposed to direct light, thereby protecting essential product characteristics like aroma, flavour, and colour. Recyclability evaluation was said to have been carried out to ensure that the additive does not cause yellowing of the PET matrix during reclaim.

Trials were carried out at US-based Plastic Forming Enterprises (PFE, Merrimack, New Hampshire; www.plasticforming.com) following the Recyclability Evaluation Protocol for PET bottles from the European bottle platform, RecyClass said, adding that the results showed that no significant deviations were observed in the quality of the resulting recyclates. The stated approval is valid under the condition that the concentration of the UV stabiliser does not exceed 0.6 weight percent in a PET bottle, it noted.

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Following this process, Penn Color’s technology is to be integrated within the RecyClass Online Tool and also considered within the scope of RecyClass Recyclability Certifications for plastic packaging.

In general, the use of additives in the PET stream has caused issues for recycling due to the subsequent yellowing of the reclaimed materials. This shows it is possible to limit or avoid such adverse impacts on recyclates, and thus move closer to a circular plastic future, RecyClass said.