PETCORE EUROPE is bringing together stakeholders across the PET value chain to improve how food contact substances are monitored, with the launch of a new initiative aimed at strengthening the evidence base for food safety and human health.

The European association, which represents the PET value chain, has launched GeNi in collaboration with KÖR. The initiative is intended to address a lack of consistency in how food contact substances are tested and reported across the industry.

For food and drink manufacturers using PET packaging, the initiative could provide greater visibility of the substances present in packaging and recycled PET, while supporting more consistent approaches to risk assessment.

Building a shared evidence base

According to PETCORE EUROPE, there are currently no international standards governing this type of testing, meaning laboratories can use different methods and approaches.

This has resulted in testing data being generated in isolation, making it difficult for the industry to develop a consistent picture of which substances are present across the PET value chain.

GeNi is intended to address this by creating a neutral, centralised hub for interlaboratory data. The platform will allow testing results to be brought together so that performance can be benchmarked, best practices identified and testing approaches compared.

The objective is not simply to standardise testing. PETCORE EUROPE says that greater consistency is a means of building the evidence needed to make better-informed food safety decisions.

What it means for recycled PET

The initiative comes as the use of recycled content in packaging increases and scrutiny of substances in plastics grows.

For manufacturers using recycled PET in food and drink packaging, understanding the composition and potential risks associated with materials moving through the recycling loop is an important part of maintaining food-contact compliance.

PETCORE EUROPE says hundreds of substances in plastics are increasingly subject to scrutiny from regulators, consumers and NGOs. At the same time, rising recycled-content targets are increasing the importance of traceability and risk assessment across the value chain.

Bringing data together could therefore help identify potential issues earlier, rather than relying on fragmented testing conducted independently by individual organisations.

This is particularly relevant as PET recycling capacity develops across Europe. Earlier industry data showed that around 1.4 million tonnes of European PET recycling capacity was destined for food-contact applications, demonstrating the scale of the material already being returned to packaging applications.

Connecting the value chain

GeNi is being positioned as an industry-wide platform rather than a tool for individual laboratories or companies.

Its participants will include laboratories, technical experts, brand owners and recyclers, with PETCORE EUROPE providing the industry coordination and KÖR facilitating the collection, anonymisation and analysis of testing data.

Raphaël Jaumotte of PETCORE EUROPE said the initiative would allow the industry to build a clearer picture of what is present across the PET value chain and identify potential risks earlier.

“At KÖR, we believe that data should be a bridge, not a barrier,” added Bernd Schwarz, chief chemical officer at KÖR, describing GeNi as a way to turn fragmented testing data into a collective understanding of packaging composition and the actions that may be required.

From testing to earlier intervention

For PET manufacturers, recyclers and food and drink producers, the significance of GeNi is therefore likely to extend beyond laboratory testing.

A more joined-up evidence base could support earlier identification of emerging issues, improve comparability between test results and provide a stronger foundation for decisions around food-contact safety.

PETCORE EUROPE’s stated aim is to use collective testing data to create proactive insights rather than waiting for regulation to identify an issue. The association says this collaborative, science-based approach is intended to strengthen food safety while supporting human health across the PET value chain.