- In 2024, global consumption of food-grade PCR packaging amounted to more than 1.2 million tonnes
- Between 2019 and 2024, annual growth in market volume averaged more than 9%, driven by strong demand in end-use sectors such as food and drinks, as well as greater emphasis on the use of recycled material in the manufacture of plastics packaging.
Post-consumer recyclate (PCR) is defined as materials generated by household or commercial facilities, which have been recycled into new products instead of being incinerated or sent to landfill. Examples from the packaging industry include PET beverage bottles, and other food contact plastics. Food-grade PCR are resins that have been sourced, processed and decontaminated for re-use in food and beverage packaging. The input materials must meet defined regulatory specifications and good manufacturing practices, to achieve certification for re-use in contact with food.
Key Questions
- How will the latest, more wide-ranging PCR requirements, including those set by the PPWR, impact food-grade PCR supply?
- How will the latest technology, including automated sorting and the arrival of commercial-scale chemical (advanced) recycling, transform the market over the next five years?
- How will PCR materials perform, compared to virgin resins, when converted into a new generation of food and beverage packs?
- How will the price of food-grade PCR perform relative to virgin resins?
- Packaging raw material suppliers
- Packaging converters and manufacturers
- Retailers and brand owners
Jonathan Thomas has many years’ experience in carrying out market research projects on a wide range of topics including security print; backed up by over 40 years’ industry experience in a variety of roles in technical, sales and marketing and new business development.
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