rPET (recycled PET) is PET recovered from used PET packaging, mostly bottles, that has been collected and reprocessed. In polyester strapping production, this material enters the line as PET flake; Polipak makes its polyester strapping from 100% PET flake, recovered from collected PET bottles.
What is the difference between rPET and PET flake?
PET flake is small pieces of PET produced by sorting, grinding and washing collected PET bottles. rPET is the broader term: it covers recycled PET in flake, pellet or other forms.
EU packaging rules since 2026
The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR, Regulation (EU) 2025/40) has applied since August 12, 2026, and covers all packaging regardless of material. It sets minimum recycled content from post-consumer plastic waste: for other plastic packaging, such as polyester strapping, the minimum is 35% from 2030 at the earliest and 65% from 2040.
The share is calculated as an average per manufacturing plant and year. Content from waste collected outside the EU counts only if collection and recycling meet standards equivalent to EU rules.
The feedstock behind Polipak polyester strapping
Polipak makes its polyester strapping from 100% PET flake, without virgin PET. Our annual production capacity of 10,800 tons corresponds to roughly 540 million PET bottles.
Our plan: an EuCertPlast application and an EcoVadis Silver target in Q4 2026; GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certification and carbon footprint measurement and reporting in 2027; and a carbon-neutral production target for the Bilecik plant in 2028.
What does it mean for buyers?
EU buyers increasingly look at sustainability ratings such as EcoVadis, B Corp and CDP when they choose suppliers, and recycled feedstock can support those assessments. If you are running a supplier assessment or preparing an ESG report, ask for the strap's feedstock declaration and the supporting documents at the quote stage.
Sizes and break strengths of our PET flake strap are listed on our polyester strapping page.