Chemco Group, an international manufacturing and plastic packaging group, has received authorization from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to manufacture food-grade recycled PET (rPET) resin for food-contact applications under the Food Safety & Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018. The approval places Chemco among a select group of companies in India authorized to produce food-grade rPET resin for direct food-contact packaging.
The authorization follows the commissioning of Chemco’s bottle-to-bottle recycling facility in Sanand, Gujarat, developed at an investment of approximately INR 125 crore. The facility is designed to recycle more than one billion post-consumer PET bottles annually into food-grade rPET resin for food and beverage packaging applications.
The facility operates a Starlinger bottle-to-bottle recycling system and has been developed to meet requirements under the Food Safety & Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018, along with applicable Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) requirements for recycled PET materials. The facility holds FSSC 22000 certification and operates under recycling process frameworks recognized by the US FDA and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for food-contact recycled PET applications.
Under the Food Safety & Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018, manufacturers seeking authorization for food-contact applications are required to demonstrate traceability, process control, testing, and compliance measures to verify material safety and suitability.
Vaibhav Saraogi, director of Chemco Group, said, “Receiving FSSAI authorization for food-grade rPET is an important milestone not only for Chemco, but also for the broader development of circular packaging infrastructure in India. As demand for compliant recycled content continues to increase, particularly in food and beverage packaging, it becomes essential to build credible domestic manufacturing capabilities supported by regulatory discipline, traceability, and consistent quality standards. Our investment in bottle-to-bottle recycling was made with a long-term view of supporting both sustainability and supply-chain reliability for brand owners. This approval reinforces our ability to offer food-grade recycled material that meets stringent safety and compliance expectations while supporting India’s transition towards circular packaging.”
The authorization comes as mandatory recycled-content obligations under the Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules continue to tighten. For Category I rigid plastic packaging – including PET bottles and containers – minimum recycled-content requirements have been set at 40% for FY 2026–27, 50% for FY 2027-28, and 60% from FY 2028-29 onwards. These requirements are expected to increase demand for domestically available, compliant food-grade recycled materials, particularly for beverage, food, and FMCG packaging.
The Sanand facility has been developed as an integrated bottle-to-bottle platform. By combining food-grade rPET resin production with downstream packaging capabilities within the group, the company said it offers traceability, supply-chain reliability, and quality consistency. The project also contributes to employment generation in Gujarat and supports India’s broader resource efficiency and waste reduction objectives.
