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Informist, Thursday, Apr. 30, 2026

 

KOLKATA – Recycling industry group Association of PET Recyclers Bharat Thursday said recyclers in the country have the requisite technology and capacity to help companies procure and partially use recycled polyethylene terephthalate in their packaging material as per the government's mandate.

 

The government has mandated the use of 40% recycled content in food-grade polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, packaging starting Apr. 1. In addition, manufacturers of food products are expected to carry forward the unmet targets for mandatory use of recycled content in the financial year ended Mar. 31. The government had mandated 30% use of recycled polyethylene terephthalate for a period of up to three consecutive years with a minimum of one-third of the carryforward target to be achieved every year.

 

Following the directive, several companies, primarily from the packaged foods industry, had raised the concern that the technology and capacity to recycle food-grade polyethylene terephthalate is not available in India and so it will be difficult for them to meet the norm.

 

"We already have FSSAI-approved 17 food-contact r-PET (recycled PET) plants with a combined capacity of around 3.56 lakh tonnes (356,000 tonnes) currently on stream, which is enough to meet the 40% recycled content requirement for FY 2026–27," Goutham Jain, director general of the Association of PET Recyclers Bharat, said in a statement.

 

Besides, the recyclers, who have already invested over INR 90 billion to set up capacities, are expanding food-grade recycled polyethylene terephthalate plants to reach 750,000 tonnes by March. "This means the sector is preparing not only for the current 40% mandate, but also for the future increase to 60% in 2028-29 recycled content," Jain said. 

 

According to the association, under the Plastic Waste Management Rules 2022 India, brand owners were entrusted with the responsibility of actively building and supporting recycling capacity in partnership with recyclers. Instead, the association said it has been witnessing increasing pressure to defer mandated targets. It said such delays risk derailing India's ambition of building a circular economy and undermine the commitments made by the country on global platforms to combat plastic pollution.

 

Reported by Avishek Rakshit

Edited by Rajeev Pai

 

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