Voluntary Design Guidelines for Designated PET bottles | The Council for PET Bottle Recycling

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The Council for PET Bottle Recycling

Voluntary Design Guidelines for Designated PET Bottles(March 1, 2011)[110KB]

The List of Basic Standards(March 1, 2011)[85KB]

Material Evaluation Criteria for Bottles (including Handles)(March 1, 2011)[200KB]

Evaluation Criteria for Labels(including Printing, Adhesives and other Components)(March 1, 2011)[155KB]

The List of Basic Standards

March 1, 2011
The Council for PET Bottle Recycling(JAPAN)

◊These “Guidelines” are applied to designated PET bottles and their attachments used for soft drinks, alcoholic beverage and specified seasonings sold in Japan, irrespective of being produced domestically or imported.
◊Bottles that do not comply with the essential terms of Basic Standards should not be put on the market. Bottles corresponding to 1*, 2* or 3* of the Notes should be evaluated and judged on the basis of the “Evaluation Criteria” attached to these “Guidelines” as appendixes. In case that the bottle of concern is judged to comply with the “Criteria”, submission of the report in designated form to the Council is requested.

Components			Basic Standards ◊: essential, *: recommended	Notes
Bottles	Body	Materials	◊Should be PET only	1*Bottles incorporating materials other than PET should be evaluated on the basis of the “Material Evaluation Criteria for Bottles (including Handles)” (Appendix 1). They can be used within the range of being hygienic safe and having no negative impact on recycling stream.
		Color	◊Should not be colored.	Except for crystallized white parts.
		Structure	*Should be easily compressible
	Attach-ments	Base Cups	◊Should not be used
		Handles	◊Should be made of colorless PET or PP/PE with a specific gravity less than 1.0. *PP or PE handles are recommended to be replaced to colorless PET.
		Printing	◊Should not be printed directly on the bottles.	Except for date and/or production coding.
Labels (including label printing, adhesives, promotional campaign labels, etc.)		Materials	◊Should not contain PVC ◊Material and the thickness should be selected so as to be able to be separated from PET flakes by means such as sink/float, wind separation and washing processes. ◊Inks should not migrate to the bottle surface. ◊Labels laminated with aluminum foil should not be used. *Metalized labels are not preferable.	2*If the labels of concern do not clearly comply with the essential terms (◊) of the Basic Standards, follow the “Evaluation Criteria for Labels (including Printing, Adhesives and other Components)” (Appendix 2).
		Detaching & Separation	Shrink sleeves are recommended to be perforated. For the labels that are glued on the bottles, such as roll-, sheet-, etc., adhesive usage and surface area covered with the adhesives should be minimized for easier detaching. Labels that can be detached easily by hand leaving no fragment or adhesive on the bottle surface are preferable.	3*In case that the labels are glued on the bottle surface with adhesives, follow the “Evaluation Criteria for Labels (including Printing, Adhesives and other Components)” (Appendix 2).
Closures	Materials		◊Aluminum closures should not be used ◊Should not contain PVC ◊Should be made mainly of PE or PP with a specific gravity less than 1.0 ◊ In case a glass ball and a gasket are used, instructions for detaching them from the bottle should be described on the label.	These terms are applied to all the materials including closure shells, closure liners and inner plugs.
Others			*Distributers and retailers are requested to place attachments such as those listed in the Notes on closures or labels. Attachments that can be detached easily by hand leaving no fragment or adhesive can be placed directly on the bottle surface.	The attachments mentioned in the left column include those glued on with adhesives such as price tags, pressure sensitive tapes, promotional campaign labels, etc. It is recommended to evaluate the attachments above according to the “Evaluation Criteria for Labels (including Printing, Adhesives and other Components)” (Appendix 2).

PVC: Polyvinyl chloride, PE: Polyethylene PP: Polypropylene