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/
