Grocery Chain Will Transition to PEF for Store Brand Packaging

Albert Heijn, the largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands, will use Avantium’s 100% plant-based and circular material PEF (polyethylene furanoate) for various forms of packaging. Refresco produces Albert Heijn’s new fruit juice bottle made out of PEF. This will be the first PEF application to be introduced in Albert Heijn stores when Avantium's commercial plant for PEF is operational.

Avantium's PEF is a 100% plant-based and recyclable polymer with a wide range of applications, including bottles and packaging, films and textiles. PEF also has barrier properties that are expected to extend the shelf life of beverages and food.

Avantium is currently constructing a commercial plant in Delfzijl, Netherlands, for 5,500 tons of FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid), the key building block for PEF, with commercial production expected to start in the second half of 2024. Thereafter, PEF production will be further scaled up to plants of 110,000 tons and more for large-scale production of FDCA and PEF through technology licensing.

"We are proud that Albert Heijn is the first supermarket chain to start using PEF for packaging. With Albert Heijn as a partner, Avantium can further scale up and expand the PEF value chain to meet the growing global demand for circular and renewable material solutions. This is what the materials transition is about: ensuring that consumers can access sustainable and innovative products on a commercial scale," says Tom van Aken, Avantium CEO.

Marit van Egmond, CEO of Albert Heijn, adds: "Albert Heijn wants to pass on a liveable earth to future generations. To make that possible, one of our goals is to make packaging more sustainable. Besides packaging reduction, recyclability and reuse, fossil-free materials are high on our wish list. With the use of PEF, we are giving substance to this."