The association welcomed newly-elected president Mark Kenrick, CEO, Lotte Chemical UK, this month.
Committee of PET Manufacturers in Europe
Kenrick replaces Roberto Bertaggia (Gruppo M&G), who chaired Petcore Europe since it was established two years ago.
Kenrick has experience in the polyester industry in Europe, US and Brazil and is treasurer of CPME, The Committee of PET Manufacturers in Europe, one of the association members of Petcore Europe.
Petcore Europe brings together all related PET manufacturers and its associations to ensure the product is recognized as an environmentally sustainable packaging material and to gain support from a recycling perspective.
Recent activities include writing to India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare after news emerged India will ban PET packaging for liquid drug formulations for children, the elderly and women of reproductive age.
The move will prohibit the use of polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, in liquid oral formulations for primary packaging of drug formulations and impose penalties on manufacturers that contravene the ban.
Unjustified damage to the reputation of PET
In an open letter, Patrick Peuch, executive director, Petcore Europe, said the ban would create considerable, unnecessary and unjustified damage to the reputation of PET as a safe and essential packaging material.
“A large number of scientific studies and other information have been provided to your ministry by credible organisations, both from India and from other sources,” he said.
“In particular, the Indian Drug Manufacturer’s Association which sent The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare very detailed and reliable scientific information on every aspect of potential concerns that your ministry may have such as high temperature exposure, endocrine disruptors, phthalates, migration and leaching.
“We would respectfully point out that to the best of our information, your draft proposal is not supported by any accredited scientific evidence. PET is approved as safe for use in food and drugs packaging worldwide including Europe, US and Japan for instance.”
PET Network Day
The organisation also welcome 100 participants from the PET value chain, including PET manufacturers, packaging converters, global brand owners, equipment manufacturers, recovery schemes and recyclers, as well as representatives from the European Commission in Brussels for its annual PET Network Day last year.
“It is important we continue to promote PET as the product of choice for bottles and other applications, which can be truly 100% recycled, provides lightweight packaging, food safety, energy savings and greenhouse gas reduction,” said Roberto Bertaggia, president, Petcore Europe.
“We also need our industry to further promote take-back systems so consumers bring them back and they don’t end up in the environment, and for this a strong synergism between political authorities and industrial parties is needed and welcome.”
The next event for Petcore Europe is the Plastics Recycling Show (PRS), November 25-26, 2015 in Belgium.