The project, successfully completed at the University of Applied Sciences – FH Campus Wien, addressed the urgent need to meet the European Circular Economy Package’s recycling target of 50% for plastic packaging by 2025. It focused on developing a closed-loop system for rigid PET packaging in both the food and non-food sectors, covering the entire value chain in Austria.

The main aim was to enable the reuse of recycled PET (rPET) materials in a safe, efficient, and environmentally friendly way, comparable to the well-established system for PET beverage bottles. To achieve this, the project:
• Investigated safety and regulatory requirements for using recycled PET in food-grade applications
• Analyzed and evaluated current sorting technologies and explored advanced recycling methods for rigid PET packaging
• Developed Design4Recycling principles to improve recyclability at the product design stage
• Conducted a comprehensive ecological assessment to measure the environmental impact and benefits of the proposed closed-loop system

The findings provide a scientific and technical basis for approving recycled PET for food applications and represent an important contribution to resource conservation and the transition toward a circular economy in Austria.