At CHINAPLAS 2026, EREMA will show its proven recycling technologies that deliver consistently high-quality regranulates for a wide range of applications.

EREMA’s team at last edition of CHINAPLAS.

"Many companies are currently addressing specific questions about which applications recyclates can and will be used for today and in the future. These are exactly the topics we are addressing at CHINAPLAS,” said James Qiu, General Manager at EREMA Shanghai.

Experts from EREMA will also share discussions on recycling at “The Power of Plastics” Conference at CHINAPLAS 2026 on April 21-23.

PET recycling for different target markets

Recycling solutions for PET continue to account for the majority of recycling systems in China. EREMA has already installed more than 50 VACUREMA and VACUNITE systems in the region. The trend is moving towards food-grade applications.

The technologies offer customers maximum flexibility. Regranulates can be used in applications such as sheets, fibers, or packaging. “As soon as the market opens up for bottle-to-bottle recycling, our customers can immediately enter this segment as well,” added Christoph Wöss, Global Sales Director at EREMA.

One area with great potential is tray-to-tray recycling (take-away packaging). The required technology has already been proven on an industrial scale. Danish company Faerch, a leading food packaging manufacturer, is considered a pioneer in this field with its recycling division Cirrec. Trays made from rPET thermoforming film contain up to 100% recycled post-consumer PET and meet stringent requirements in terms of food safety, durability and transparency.

The VACUREMA and VACUNITE machine series have been approved by globally recognized food safety authorities for the production of food-grade rPET. In December 2025, EREMA also received four additional positive opinions from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in accordance with EU Regulation 2022/1616. This confirms that the technology meets current requirements for decontamination and process validation.

Furthermore, the distinction between bottle and sheet applications reduces complexity for recycling companies.

"The majority of rPET in China is currently used in textile production," added James Qiu. "With a future opening of bottle-to-bottle recycling, it will be crucial to establish solutions that keep PET within its respective loops."

With the PET fiber-to-fiber technology FibrePro:IV, as well as the investment announced in October in Australian clean-technology pioneer BlockTexx, EREMA is consistently expanding its expertise in textile recycling.

Post-consumer recycling solutions

Chinese market is observed to have growing interest in post-consumer recycling solutions, of which EREMA’s technology supports customers with extensive expertise.

Together with Irish company Polymer Matters and joint venture partner Lindner Washtech, EREMA realizes a recycling process in which HDPE milk bottles from post-consumer collections are recycled and used again to produce new milk bottles. The combination of washing and extrusion technology forms the basis for the high quality of the recyclate. The process was recently classified by the European Commission as an advanced novel technology for direct food contact.

Increasing requirements can also be observed in the recycling of film waste. Household, supermarket, and agricultural films pose particular challenges due to contamination and moisture. With the INTAREMA TVEplus DuaFil Compact, EREMA offers a solution designed for such demanding material streams.

While post-consumer regranulates are already being used in high-quality products in Europe, there are still only a few applications in China. One pioneering example is INTCO. The company operates around 30 INTAREMA TVEplus systems equipped with EREMA laser filters for EPS recycling.

"The regranulates achieve a high level of quality and are used in premium products such as picture and photo frames. Thanks to its integrated value chain, INTCO holds a strong international market position,” James Qiu explained.