“We are proud to supply the recycled PET Resin for India’s first beverage bottle that is made from 100 % rPET”, said Ravindra PV, Managing Director at Srichakra Polyplast. “With Starlinger’s PET recycling process, which has received positive opinions from EFSA and approvals from FSSAI, we ensure thorough decontamination of the PET in the recycling process and produce food-safe rPET pellets for PET bottle preform production and other types of food packaging.”
Coca-Cola India uses the new rPET bottle for its packaged drinking water brand Kinley, which is currently sold in one-litre bottles. The launch of the rPET bottle became possible after the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) approved the use of recycled PET in food packaging, following a thorough review of the material regarding food safety and compliance with its guidelines. In a press statement, Enrique Ackermann, Vice President Technical and Innovation Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia, said, “Aligned with our vision of creating a World Without Waste, we are constantly looking for ways to reduce our environmental footprint and contribute towards creating a circular economy. We are proud to be the first beverage company in India to offer our consumers a sustainable choice of packaging by launching Kinley bottles made from 100% recycled PET. Our new bottles made with food-grade rPET have value beyond their initial use, as they are fully recyclable and can be repurposed into new bottles. This is also an endeavour on our part to complement the Government of India’s ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ (translated: Clean India Mission) initiative.”