Guidelines for Certifying Recycled Plastics for Food Contact

A joint initiative of EuPC (European Plastics Converters), Expra (Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance), Epro, NMWE (Natural Mineral Waters Europe), Petcore Europe, and Unesda (Soft Drinks Europe) has led to the publication of a comprehensive guidance document to support waste management operators and sorters in setting up third-party certification of quality assurance systems for recycled materials and articles. Such a certification is required by Article 6 of Regulation (EU) 2022/1616 on recycled plastic materials and articles intended for food contact.

This guidance represents a PET value chain initiative to provide transparency and clarity, and a practical tool to ensure that recycled plastics used in food contact applications are both safe and traceable. It provides a detailed interpretation of legal requirements under Article 6 of Regulation (EU) 2022/1616, translating them into actionable criteria for the collection, sorting, and final pre-processing of operators.

“This guidance is the result of extensive collaboration among experts in food contact regulation, waste management, recycling, conversion, and packaging. It aims to ensure the safety of PET.  We developed it to support businesses in meeting the relevant EU requirements”, explained Raphael Jaumotte, Technical Manager at Petcore Europe, who coordinated the joint effort.   

The document also outlines how non-EU operators must meet equivalent requirements to ensure parity in standards, including proof of compliance with EU food contact legislation. With the adoption of the certification, the PET value chain reaffirms its commitment to circularity and high - quality recycling in the EU.