Discover your next big idea at PACK EXPO Las Vegas
Experience a breakthrough in packaging & processing and transform your business with solutions from 2,300 suppliers spanning all industries. Click to learn more.

Top Articles of 2024, #11: If Brands Need PCR, Why is Demand for rPET so Soft?

The #11 most clicked article of 2024: Brands made commitments to use more PCR, and rPET is a substrate with lots of packaging applications. So why is it so cheap, and why is demand so soft, especially heading into 2024's 'preform season?'

NAPCOR PET bottle collection and recycling rates.
NAPCOR PET bottle collection and recycling rates.

Consumer-sourced feedstock for rPET is heavily seasonal since cold beverages are more likely to be consumed during hot summers, and PET bottles are well-suited for on-the-go summer travels. Peak rPET supply occurs at the end of summer, depressing its prices. In winter, the script is flipped. Consumers tend to travel less and buy/recycle fewer cold beverages in PET bottles. This natural rhythm sets up an annual supply and demand showdown in Q1 when feedstock streams slow to a trickle, but converter need for rPET begins to ramp back up to satisfy demand for preforms for the looming summer PET boom months. According to Emily Friedman, plastics expert and senior editor at ICIS, a chemicals and energy intelligence provider, February and March are “preform season.” Demand is increasing while supply is at its tightest, so that’s when rPET prices should be highest. 

Conveying Innovations Report
Editors report on distinguishing characteristics that define each new product and collected video demonstrating the equipment or materials as displayed at the show. This topical report, winnowed from nearly 300 PACK EXPO collective booth visits, represents a categorized, organized account of individual items that were selected based on whether they were deemed to be both new, and truly innovative, based on decades of combined editorial experience in experiencing and evaluating PACK EXPO products.
Take me there
Conveying Innovations Report
Pharmaceutical Innovations Report
Discover the latest breakthrough packaging technologies shaping the pharmaceutical sector. This report dives into cutting-edge innovations, from smart containers that enhance patient safety to eco-friendly materials poised to transform the industry’s sustainability practices. All from PACK EXPO. Learn how forward-thinking strategies are driving efficiency and redefining what’s possible in pharma packaging.
Learn More
Pharmaceutical Innovations Report