Association of PET Recyclers (APR) Bharat allays beverage industry fears over food-grade recycled PET shortage
New Delhi : Allaying apprehensions expressed by the beverage industry over inadequate availability of food-grade recycled PET recently, the Association of PET Recyclers (APR) Bharat, on Monday clarified that the industry is “ready” and is confident of supporting India’s food-grade r-PET transition.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has in its latest guidelines mandated use of 40 per cent recycled content in food-grade PET packaging in 2026-27 starting April 1. In addition, they are also expected to carry forward unfulfilled target for mandatory use of recycled content of FY25-26 (30% Mandate) for a period of up to three consecutive years with a minimum of one third of the carry forward target to be achieved every year.
According to Goutham Jain, Director General, APR (Association of PET Recyclers) Bharat, recyclers have the required technology and approved capacity to support this food-grade r-PET transition.
“We already have FSSAI-approved 17 food-contact r-PET plants with a combined capacity of around 3.56 lakh tonnes currently on stream which is enough to meet the 40% recycled content requirement for FY 2026–27. This capacity can support the additional carry-forward requirement of up to 10% from FY 2025–26. Besides, the recycled PET manufacturers are expanding at a rapid scale. Their food-grade r-PET capacity is expected to reach around 7.5 lakh tonnes by March 2027. 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 allaying apprehensions of beverage industry over under capacity and inadequate availability of r-PET.
The industry has already invested over ₹9,000 crore in setting up food-grade r-PET capacity. These companies have invested in advanced recycling technology, plant infrastructure, safety systems, and capacity expansion to meet India’s recycled content mandate.
The PWM Amendment Rules and FSSAI approvals have improved investor confidence by giving the sector clear demand visibility. Now, successful and efficient adoption of the mandate will be critical to retaining that confidence. If brands use r-PET as required and implementation remains consistent, it will validate the investments already made and encourage further capacity expansion.
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. Unfortunately, instead of strengthening this collaboration, we are witnessing increasing pressure to defer mandated targets.
Such delays risk derailing India’s circular economy ambitions and undermine the commitments our nation has made on global platforms to combat plastic pollution. A consistent and committed approach from all stakeholders—especially brand owners—is essential to ensure that the progress achieved so far is not reversed, Jain said.
APR Bharat strongly urges all obligated entities to stay aligned with the regulatory timelines and work collaboratively with the recycling ecosystem to build a sustainable and accountable future.
“The technology is ready. The capacity is ready. The industry has invested and is expanding further. India can meet the current requirement and prepare for future targets. What is needed now is steady adoption by brands and consistent adherence to the rules by bottling and beverage industry,” he pointed out.
Mandate to ensure sustainable resource management
The government’s mandate marks a significant milestone in the country’s commitment to sustainable resource management particularly at a time when there is looming uncertainty over global supply chains. The current geopolitical situation highlights the urgent need for this transition to ensure national resource security, reduced import dependence, and a more resilient domestic packaging supply chain.
“Virgin PET availability and prices can be affected by external shocks. A strong domestic r-PET ecosystem gives India a more stable local source of raw material. It can reduce dependence on imported virgin PET and make the packaging supply chain more secure,” Jain said.
Beyond economy, there is a large-scale social impact affecting livelihoods of the most marginalised, fringe sections of the society.
A large part of PET collection in India is done by the informal sector. Nearly 50% of their daily income is linked to plastic waste collection. As demand for food-grade r-PET increases, waste bottles get pulled back into the formal value chain. This can improve income stability for waste collectors and create more work across collection, sorting, aggregation, logistics, and processing.
