Returpack in Sweden has become the first deposit return system in Europe to obtain RecyClass certification for sorting polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles.

The approval confirms that recycled plastic from the system complies with EU traceability rules and can be used in food contact packaging.

It is issued under EU regulation 2022/1616, which covers the collection, pre-treatment and traceability of recycled plastic for food and drink packaging.

The certification means recycled PET from deposit return systems can be treated as a traceable material suitable for food packaging and reintroduced into supply chains, the company said.

Pantamera, Sweden's national deposit return system, is run by Returpack with the mission to increase the recycling of cans and PET bottles.

Returpack is a privately owned business operating under a mandate from its owners and the Swedish Government. The company handles more than three billion cans and PET bottles each year.

Returpack’s ownership is split between Sveriges Bryggerier with 50%, Svensk Dagligvaruhandel with 25% and Livsmedelshandlarna with 25%.

Returpack sustainability and quality head Sara Wester Bergendorff said: “The certification confirms that we have strong control and traceability throughout the entire flow, from collection and sorting to delivery to our material recyclers. It is also proof that our working methods and processes already meet high standards of quality and safety.

“The plastic we collect comes in as a clean, identified mono-material stream from the start. That is the structural advantage of a deposit system. This certification gives our material customers and beverage producers the documentation they need to put that material back into new packaging.”