India's FSSAI may allow recycled plastics in food packaging
Big news for anyone who orders food or cares about the environment: India's food safety authority (FSSAI) is looking to let companies use recycled plastics in food packaging.
The catch? These recycled materials, like polyethylene and polypropylene, must be as safe and pure as brand-new plastic, thanks to advanced recycling technology.
This could help brands meet recycling goals without risking what's inside your takeout box.
FSSAI proposes chemical recycling equivalence requirement
Under the proposed rules, "Recycled polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) produced by chemical recycling process as defined in IS 14534, via the monomer route, may be used for food-contact materials, only when the output (end product) is considered equivalent to virgin material and meets the criteria applicable to virgin material."
"Recycled polymer derived exclusively from food-grade packaging material may be used in the outermost layer of multilayer packaging material intended for food contact, provided that the inner layers possess adequate barrier properties to prevent migration of substances from the outermost layer into the food and also shall fulfill the already prescribed migration limits for packaging materials."
The FSSAI is giving stakeholders 60 days to share feedback before making it official. If this goes through, it could be a big win for cutting down plastic waste while keeping India's $15 billion food packaging industry moving toward greener solutions.