Overview
SIST EN 18120-5:2026 is a CEN standard that provides comprehensive guidelines for the design for recycling of rigid PET packaging, excluding PET bottles. The document addresses the compatibility of such packaging designs with current state-of-the-art collection, sorting, and recycling processes within Europe, and evaluates the reusability of recycled PET (rPET) in various applications. Additionally, the standard covers packaging components and constituents made from materials other than PET, ensuring their compatibility with PET polymer recycling.
This guideline is vital for packaging designers, manufacturers, and brand owners aiming to enhance the recyclability of PET rigid packaging, aligning with European sustainability goals and regulatory requirements.
Key Topics
- Design Compatibility: The standard lays out criteria for ensuring that rigid PET packaging can be effectively collected, sorted, and recycled. It emphasizes designing packaging so that recycled PET can be used in high-value applications, particularly food contact, without compromising material quality.
- Component Evaluation: Guidance is provided for the main packaging material as well as secondary components-such as closures, lidding films, labels, sleeves, adhesives, and additives-to ensure they are easily separable and do not compromise recycling streams.
- Recyclability Assessment: The standard introduces a color-coded compatibility system for packaging constituents:
- Green: Full compatibility with recycling (e.g., mono-material PET, easily removable labels).
- Yellow: Limited compatibility.
- Red: No compatibility (e.g., certain plastics like PVC, PLA, or adhesives not removable by standard recycling processes).
- Material and Design Best Practices:
- Prioritize mono-material PET when possible.
- Use uncoloured or light blue PET to maximize recyclate quality.
- Minimize the use of inks, and ensure all decorations and adhesives are compatible with recycling.
- Avoid the use of non-removable labels, sleeves, or components that hinder identification, separation, or recycling.
- Decision Support: A design decision tree assists packaging innovators and brand owners in optimizing product designs according to recyclability criteria.
Applications
Drawing from the practical recommendations of EN 18120-5, recyclable PET rigid packaging is critical in various sectors, such as:
- Food and Beverage: Ensures that trays, clamshells, and other rigid PET food packaging can be efficiently recycled back into food-grade applications.
- Medical and Personal Care: Enables safe collection and recycling of medical device packaging, personal care containers, and more.
- Industrial and Homecare: Promotes the use of recyclable PET trays and containers in non-food sectors while safeguarding the food-grade recycling stream.
Adhering to these guidelines helps manufacturers and brands:
- Meet Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) requirements.
- Improve environmental profiles and corporate sustainability.
- Facilitate consumer participation in recycling through better design.
Related Standards
EN 18120-5 is part of a broader series on the design for recycling of plastic packaging, ensuring consistency across the packaging value chain. Key related standards include:
- EN 18120-1: Definitions and principles for design-for-recycling of plastic packaging.
- EN 18120-3: Sortability evaluation process for plastic packaging.
- EN 18120-4: Guideline for PET bottles.
- EN 18120-11: Recyclability evaluation protocols for PET rigid packaging (except bottles).
- EN 13430: Requirements for packaging recoverable by material recycling.
- EN 15348: Characterization of recycled PET.
- Industry Resources: Guidelines from organizations like PETCORE Europe and RecyClass, which further support best practices in PET tray and thermoform recycling.
By following EN 18120-5 and related standards, stakeholders ensure that PET rigid packaging supports circular economy goals, maximizes recycling yields, and minimizes environmental impact.