Saturated polyester. Bottle-grade, fiber and thermoforming sheet. rPET adoption mandated by PPWR for beverage packaging.
European PET capacity sits around 3.5 million tonnes per year, dominated by Indorama (Workington, Rotterdam, Wloclawek), Equipolymers (Schkopau), Neo Group (Klaipeda), and Reliance Europe. Bottle-grade PET takes ~70% of demand — water, carbonated soft drinks, juice, and increasingly milk and dairy.
Europe runs structurally short of bottle-grade PET; net imports fill the gap from India, the Middle East, and Indonesia. Anti-dumping duties on certain origins are reviewed periodically by the European Commission and shift the trade balance in 2–3 year cycles.
rPET — recycled PET, food-contact grade — is the fastest-growing segment in Europe. Demand outstrips supply on a structural basis: PPWR mandates 25% rPET in beverage bottles by 2025 and 30% by 2030, but European bottle-to-bottle recycling capacity is still scaling. rPET trades at a 30–50% premium over virgin during tight collection periods, occasionally inverting the market.
PET resin price tracks two upstream contracts: Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA, ~70% of cost) and Mono-Ethylene Glycol (MEG, ~30%). PTA itself tracks paraxylene (oil-derived) on a 1–2 month lag; MEG tracks naphtha or US shale gas. Both contracts settle monthly in Europe via ICIS, Argus, and Platts assessments.
rPET pricing is driven by collection economics — Deposit Return Scheme rollouts in Germany, Romania, Slovakia, and Ireland have tightened bottle-flake supply and pushed rPET above virgin. Watch the ICIS rPET weekly index alongside virgin contract for the spread.
PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is a clear, strong polyester used predominantly for beverage bottles — water, soft drinks, juice, and increasingly milk and dairy. It carries the resin identification code 1 (sometimes labelled PETE in older markings). Beyond bottles, PET is used for thermoformed food trays (APET), polyester fibre for clothing and textiles, strapping, and X-ray film. PET is the most widely-used plastic for beverage packaging globally because it is light, transparent, mechanically strong and recyclable.
Yes. PET is approved for direct food and beverage contact under EU 10/2011 and FDA 21 CFR 177.1630. It does NOT contain BPA — that's a polycarbonate (PC) issue, not a PET one. Acetaldehyde levels in modern bottle-grade PET are below the threshold that affects water taste (typically under 6 μg/kg). Reusing single-use PET bottles for water is generally safe, though scratches can harbour bacteria over time, which is why dedicated reusable bottles use heavier-walled PET or other materials.
Yes. PET and PETE are the same plastic — polyethylene terephthalate. The 'PETE' marking dates from older US Society of the Plastics Industry standards; modern resin identification code uses '1' inside the recycling triangle, sometimes accompanied by 'PET' or 'PETE'. Both labels mean the same thing.
Yes — PET is the most recycled plastic globally. European deposit-and-return schemes (Germany's DPG, Sweden, Finland, Romania, Slovakia, and others rolling out) recover PET bottles at 90%+ rates. Recycled PET (rPET) is approved for food contact under EU 2022/1616. The EU PPWR mandates 25% rPET content in beverage bottles from 2025, rising to 30% in 2030. Coloured PET bottles (green, blue) sort into a separate, lower-value recyclate stream than clear PET.