Faerch and Norfersk introduced a new thermoformed meat tray made from 70% food-grade, tray-to-tray recycled PET, featuring recycled content sourced from used thermoformed packaging in the same material stream.
The partnership rolled out the tray as part of efforts to establish a closed-loop material flow for food packaging and to meet rising recycling standards in retail supply chains. The tray maintains the functional requirements for fresh meat packaging while replacing a large share of virgin PET; Faerch applied its material processing to ensure food safety compliance and Norfersk integrated the trays into its meat packaging lines.
For consumers and retailers, the trays reduce reliance on virgin plastics and advance circularity in thermoformed packaging, reflecting a broader trend toward high-recycled-content food packaging that supports waste reduction and recycling infrastructure development.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Closed-loop Thermoforming
- A shift toward tray-to-tray material flows creates opportunities for systems that reclaim and reprocess thermoformed packaging into food-grade formats without virgin input.
- High-content RPET Adoption
- Growing retail acceptance of 50–70% recycled-content trays indicates market demand for packaging solutions that substantially reduce virgin resin use while meeting functional requirements.
- Food-safe Recycled Materials
- Advances in material processing and compliance testing enable recycled PET grades that satisfy food-contact regulations, opening space for validated recycled feedstocks in sensitive supply chains.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Retail Meat Packaging
- The meat sector is positioned to adopt high-recycled-content thermoformed trays that maintain barrier and presentation properties while aligning with retailer sustainability targets.
- Recycling Infrastructure
- Enhanced collection and sorting programs for thermoformed PET create prospects for specialized recycling streams that deliver higher-quality feedstock for food-grade applications.
- Polymer Processing Equipment
- Demand for food-contact-compliant rPET necessitates processing and decontamination technologies that can reliably convert mixed thermoform waste into certified recycled pellets.
