More potentially hazardous chemicals migrate from bottles to beverages when PET is recycled rather than virgin. A recent study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials shows this.
Chemical safety of recycled PET
Researchers at Brunel University in London examined 91 scientific studies on the migration of chemicals from plastic bottles to their contents. Namely, water, carbonated soft drinks, fruit juices, milk and other beverages.
It emerged that the level of migration varies depending on a number of variables, such as the geographical location of the producer, storage time, number of reuses and type of content. And it is greater if the bottle is made of recycled PET.
150 chemicals found
Of the 193 chemicals searched, as many as 150 were detected by migration from the PET bottle to the food. In 18 cases, the detected concentration exceeded regulatory limits. The group includes various phthalates and nickel, in excess almost always in fatty foods.
Only 41 of the 150 chemicals detected are included in the ‘positive list’ of the European Union’s Plastic Food Contact Materials (FCM) Regulation.
Appeal for a ‘clean’ recycled Pet.
The chemicals found in foods bottled in recycled PET appear to result from the sum of two sources. Those due to the original PET, even if not intentionally added, and substances descended from the recycling process of the material, due to contamination of the raw material, including through labels.
According to the researchers, the risks described should be solved by more careful management of recycled PET processing.
Recycled pet, the SUP directive
The use of rPET (recycled PET), after all, is one of the measures identified to reduce plastic pollution.
In fact, Directive 2019/904 (or Single Use Plastic, or SUP, directive) requires PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles to contain at least 25 percent recycled plastic by 2025, 30 percent by 2030. (2)
rPET, skyrocketing prices
Ahead of these deadlines and in the face of ‘second raw material’ shortages, the race to adapt beverage packaging and the scarcity of recycled PET (rPET) have already led to steep price increases.
‘As of January 2021, the cost of recycled PET (rPET) flakes rose 103 percent in Europe, reaching 1,690 euros per ton. The cost of bales of PET bottles , the starting material for making flakes, rose even faster to more than three times last year’s values‘, reports the campaign website ‘
For good measure – much more than rejection
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Marta Strinati
Notes
(1) Spyridoula Gerassimidou, Paulina Lanska, John N. Hahladakis, Elena Lovat, Silvia Vanzetto, Birgit Geueke, Ksenia J. Groh, Jane Muncke, Maricel Maffini, Olwenn V. Martin, Eleni Iacovidou. Unpacking the complexity of the PET drink bottles value chain: A chemicals perspective. Journal of Hazardous Materials, Volume 430, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128410.
(2) Luca Foltran. The UAS directive guidelines. GIFT(Great Italian Fopod Trade), 8.7.21. https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/imballaggi-e-moca/le-linee-guida-della-direttiva-sup
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
