India has taken a giant leap towards reducing its environmental footprint with the introduction of food-grade rPET regulations by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). This move is expected to revolutionize the packaging industry by promoting the use of recycled plastics in food contact materials. The guidelines permit the use of rPET in food packaging, provided it meets stringent decontamination and safety benchmarks, paving the way for the responsible use of post-consumer PET bottles to manufacture new food-grade containers .

What Does This Mean for the Packaging Industry?
The FSSAI guidelines apply exclusively to recycling processes that transform post-consumer food-grade PET into Food Contact Material-rPET (FCM-rPET). This approach guarantees that materials reintroduced into the food supply chain meet strict safety and performance standards. The approved recycling processes include advanced technologies with validated decontamination steps, such as:
- Super-clean mechanical recycling: A process that ensures the removal of contaminants and impurities from PET bottles.
- Melt-in, paste-in, and chemical recycling : Methods that break down PET into its raw materials, which can then be used to manufacture new food-grade containers.

 Ensuring Safety and Quality
To ensure the safety and quality of recycled resin, it must pass several critical tests, including :
- Challenge Test : Evaluates the ability of the recycling process to remove contaminants.
- Migration Test: Assesses the potential migration of substances from the packaging material to food.
- Extraction Test: Determines the amount of substances that can be extracted from the packaging material.

Operational and Quality Standards
Recycling operations must follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), including the implementation of quality assurance programs, clearly defined critical quality parameters, and full product traceability. Input materials must meet a minimum quality standard, and the final product should be monitored continuously to ensure consistency over time. With Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) frameworks becoming more stringent, these guidelines offer clarity and assurance for recyclers, converters, and brand owners alike. This is a vital enabler for boosting rPET adoption in food and beverage sectors while maintaining safety, quality, and trust. The demand for food-grade rPET is growing rapidly, driven by increasing environmental awareness among consumers and policy incentives .

Pioneers in Food-Grade rPET
Several companies, including Srichakra Polyplast, Reliance Industries, Ganesha Ecopet, Uflex Limited, and Ester Industries Limited, have already received approval from FSSAI to manufacture food-grade rPET resin. These companies are using advanced recycling technologies, such as Erema VACUNITE and Starlinger's secondary recycling process, to produce high-quality rPET resins . The introduction of food-grade rPET regulations in India marks a significant step towards a more sustainable future for the packaging industry. 

As the demand for recycled plastics continues to grow, it is expected that more companies will adopt rPET in their packaging materials, reducing the country's dependence on virgin plastic and mitigating the environmental impact of plastic waste.