PRSE 2025 live: Krones expands multilayer tray and PET bottle recycling

At the Plastics Recycling Show Europe (PRSE) 2025 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Krones is presenting its plastic recycling solutions. Through its advancements in PET tray and film recycling, as well as bottle-to-bottle processes, the company is responding to the market’s increasing demand for recycled materials.

On the show floor, Packaging Insights talks to Nikolas Wolf, head of regional sales Europe at Krones, to discuss the company’s recycling strategy.

One of Krones Recycling’s major sustainability initiatives centers on PET tray recycling. According to Wolf, the demand for effective PET tray recycling solutions is high. “We have now created our own PET tray concept to fulfill customers’ requirements.”

PET trays can come in two versions: Monolayer and multilayer. Wolf points out that monolayer trays, composed primarily of PET, are easy to recycle back into new trays. Multilayer trays, however, composed of different materials and layers, present a more complex recycling challenge.

Nikolas Wolf, head of regional sales Europe at Krones.Therefore, Krones has developed a concept that achieves “very low material losses, and a high delamination process,” says Wolf.

“Delamination brings the material to the single layers again, so that you really separate the different kinds of polymer types.”

Advancing new concepts

Beyond PET trays, Krones Recycling also focuses on film recycling. Wolf observes that recyclers increasingly invest in film recycling solutions across different industries.

“We have our own new concept, the Krones Recycling film concept, and offer not only a post-industrial film solution but also for special applications like post-consumer materials.”

He emphasizes that Krones Recycling is open to collaborating with customers to develop new recycling designs tailored to specific industry needs.

“What we see is that the demand on the recycling margin is increasing. With our new portfolio and the Krones Recycling company, we are able to have a great future together with our customers.”

Closing the loop on PET bottles

Another focus area for Krones Recycling is its bottle-to-bottle recycling lines. “We have several existing lines worldwide now on the market. Together with the other components from the Krones group, we are able to close the complete loop in this application,” highlights Wolf.Krones bottle-to-bottle strategy entails everything from the filling machine to the packaging down to the recycling and back to filling.

“This recycling line entails everything from the filling machine to the packaging down to the recycling and back to filling. The only thing the customer has to do is drink the content of the bottle, and Krones can do everything else.”

Krones Recycling is showcasing PET bottles with varying degrees of recycled content. “The PET bottle out of recycled material looks almost like a virgin product, and that is the target to reuse everything from the bottle and create fully recycled PET bottles.”

At Belgium’s first PET bottle recycling plant, Krones Recycling says it delivered most of the machines and played a major role in designing and implementing the line. The machine manufacturer has its own factory planning and project management teams, allowing it to assume overall responsibility for the project.

With live reporting from Natalie Schwertheim at PRSE 2025