In future, Bertolli will use 100 per cent recycled PET (rPET) for its olive oil packaging. In doing so, the company aims to reduce its environmental impact and significantly reduce the use of virgin plastic.
The new bottles are made entirely from recycled plastic without compromising product quality. According to Bertolli, rPET combines environmental protection with safe food packaging. The manufacturing process involves the collection, sorting, cleaning and reprocessing of used bottles into PET flakes, which are then reprocessed.
Background and goals
With the introduction of rPET, Bertolli is responding to the growing demand for more sustainable packaging solutions. The company emphasises the shared responsibility of consumers, industry and institutions to reduce the ecological footprint.
Bertolli's own sustainability roadmap includes reducing CO₂ emissions, minimising the impact of packaging and maintaining the „zero waste“ certification of its plants until 2030. According to the company, it has already been sourcing all of the electricity for its production facilities from renewable energy sources since 2022.
Classification in the US market
The introduction of rPET bottles is also linked to national and regional requirements. For example, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is aiming for a recycling rate of 50 per cent by 2030. In California, regulation AB793 already obliges manufacturers to use a minimum of 15 per cent recycled material in plastic bottles. This is set to rise to 25 per cent by 2025 and 50 per cent by 2030.
Source: Bertolli
