Uhde Inventa-Fischer (Domat / Switzerland; www.uhde-inventa-fischer.com) has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for PET flakes produced using the "Flakes-To-Resin" (FTR) recycling process from post-consumer material. Up to 50% FTR flakes may now be added to the virgin polymer.

The new process is based on Uhde Inventa-Fischer's two-reactor "Melt-To-Resin" technology. It uses two parallel streams of polymer – one virgin and one post-consumer. The recycled flakes are melted, partially depolymerised and than added to the virgin melt flow. In pilot plant tests, it was demonstrated that a measured cocktail of contaminants was completely removed during the process. The high-viscosity melt can either be processed into pellets or made directly into preforms for bottle production.