In a move for circular packaging, PET-Recycling Schweiz and the Swiss beverage industry have announced a landmark industry agreement designed to safeguard the long-term material quality of recycled PET (rPET).

Moving away from an unyielding pursuit of maximum recycled content, the sector is officially adopting an “optimum rather than maximum” framework.

Science-backed quality control

The new agreement stems from a recent study conducted by sus.lab at ETH Zürich, which analysed the mechanical and structural dynamics of the Swiss PET recycling loop. The research established that the national PET cycle remains fully functional and robust when the overall system rPET share is maintained between 75% and 80%.

However, the study cautioned that pushing system-wide rPET percentages higher over successive recycling cycles significantly increases the risk of material degradation. Industry experts noted that the determining factor for long-term viability is the cumulative share across the entire collection and reprocessing system, rather than the recycled content of any single container.

Key commitments of the new Branchenvereinbarung

To prevent quality issues before they can take root in the material stream, the board of PET-Recycling Schweiz and participating recycling companies have established formal operational parameters:

• Domestic production cap: members of PET-Recycling Schweiz have committed to utilizing an average of at most 75% rPET in PET bottles manufactured within Switzerland.
• Individual product flexibility: individual product lines are still permitted to feature 100% rPET where appropriate.
• Import headroom: the established upper limit intentionally leaves regulatory and logistical space for bottles imported from abroad, which are not bound by the domestic agreement.

Managing success through long-term optimisation

Rather than signalling a retreat from sustainability, industry leaders emphasize that the agreement represents the next logical phase in Switzerland’s recycling maturity, following 26 years of continuous system development.

““Twenty-six years ago, Switzerland closed the PET recycling loop. Since then, we have continuously developed the system,” noted Jean-Claude Würmli, managing director of PET Recycling Switzerland. “Setting an upper limit today is a direct consequence of this success: The proportion of recycled PET is now so high that it’s no longer just about using as much recycled material as possible, but about managing the cycle optimally in the long term.”

By setting a scientifically validated threshold, the Swiss beverage sector aims to ensure that future growth in recycled content strengthens, rather than strains, the country’s closed-loop infrastructure.