What is EPBP?

The European PET Bottle Platform (EPBP) is a technical platform bringing together expertise from across the PET bottle value chain to ensure that packaging innovation supports a fully circular system. It is supported by NMWE (Natural Mineral Waters Europe), UNESDA (Soft Drinks Europe), and PETCORE EUROPE, reflecting a strong alignment across key industry stakeholders.

An independent, science-based evaluation body

EPBP operates as an independent, science-based evaluation body, assessing new PET bottle technologies, materials, and design solutions to verify their compatibility with European collection, sorting, and recycling processes. Through confidential technical assessments, EPBP evaluates critical parameters such as sorting detectability, recycling behaviour, contaminant risks, and material quality, ensuring that innovations do not compromise the performance of bottle-to-bottle recycling systems.

Transitioning from design for recycling to design for circularity

At the core of EPBP’s work is the transition from design for recycling to design for circularity. This means going beyond initial recyclability and assessing how PET materials perform across multiple recycling loops - including their ability to retain quality and remain suitable for high-value applications such as food-contact packaging. This lifecycle-driven approach ensures that material value is preserved over time and that recycled PET (rPET) can be effectively reused in closed-loop systems.

Providing practical guidelines and expertise

EPBP provides the industry with practical design guidelines and robust test protocols, translating complex recycling requirements into actionable technical criteria. Its expertise spans polymer science, bottle manufacturing, recycling technologies, and quality control, enabling a comprehensive evaluation of how innovations interact with real-world recycling infrastructure.

By aligning packaging design with system capabilities, EPBP plays a critical role in safeguarding rPET quality, enabling multiple recycling loops, and supporting a stable and efficient circular PET economy in Europe.

More information: https://www.epbp.org/

The main objectives of PETCORE EUROPE’s PET Tray Recyclability/Circularity Evaluation Platform (TCEP) are to: 

• Evaluate the Recyclability/Circularity of PET thermoformed container technologies/products. 

• Allow new PET thermoformed container innovations, while at the same time minimising economic and environmental consequences for the European PET recycling industry. 

• Promote the Recyclability/Circularity of PET thermoformed containers on the market by: 

• Proposing European harmonised guidelines for the Recyclability/Circularity of PET trays (and other thermoformed containers) that will be accepted across the whole value chain in alignment with CEN Design for Recyclability standards. 

• Encouraging industry to test new PET tray concepts and/or materials according to the harmonised guidelines before market launch. 

• Providing advice and recommendations to the different stakeholders. 

• Sharing information and knowledge across the whole value chain while also respecting both competition law and confidential information. 

We have a resolute policy of complying with competition law in all our activities. 

See the attached Modus Operandi file for more detailed information  

Testing Procedures 

TCEP has developed a test protocol for testing innovative PET trays. It is designed to evaluate PET packaging solutions that generally end up in the PET recycling stream and that can possibly influence - or even disturb - the quality of the recycling system.  

Our experts use the information provided by the applicant, combined with their expertise and knowledge database, to determine the optimal test programme, using up-to-date testing methods that produce qualitative and/or quantitative test results. Products which pass the tests should not experience any problems during tray-to-to tray recycling and may receive an official endorsement. TCEP is working to align these endorsements with full or limited compatibility endorsements with the PET Tray recycle stream according to the TCEP Design for Recyclability guidelines.  

Laboratory analyses on the recyclability of new, innovative PET trays or non-PET components can be relatively expensive and lengthy - sometimes with lead times of several months between sampling and results. Assessing test results can sometimes be complex and require a certain level of expertise, which can be considered inconvenient for early assessments 

For this reason, TCEP has developed a series of rapid and low-cost techniques for the quick assessment of PET trays (Quick Tests). All Quick Tests include a complete explanation of the scope, techniques, equipment and test conditions, as well as a “summary interpretation” detailing how to use the test results. Quick tests can either be executed at the internal laboratory facility or by an independent accredited test laboratory. 

Conclusions from quick tests results are purely indicative, and may not be considered as an advice, recommendation or formal approval/endorsement by TCEP. For a complete assessment, further tests are required to highlight all possible effects of innovative PET trays on the recyclability of collected trays into r-PET, the processing of the r-PET into products and the final product properties.  

Please contact TCEP  www.tcep-europe.org   for more information. 

If you are keen to learn more regarding our test procedures, please see the latest documents enclosed right here below.

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