On October 17, 2024, Avantium Nederland announced that it has signed an agreement to produce salad bowls from bio-based PEF material with Royal Vezet, Europe's largest fresh food company specializing in convenience vegetables, fruits, salads, and fresh food products, and that these trays, located in PEF, will be supplied to the Netherlands' largest supermarket chain Albert Heijn to use.
Albert Heijn, the largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands
PEF (polyethylene glycol furanoate), a 100% plant-based, fully recyclable polymer from PEF producer Avantium, provided a renewable, recycled packaging solution for Royal Vezet's salad bowls.
Avantium will start up the world's first commercial plant in Delfzijl for 5,000 tons of FDCA (furanodicarboxylic acid), a key component of PEF, with commercial production expected to begin in 2025. Thereafter, PEF production will be expanded to plants of 100,000 tons and above, enabling large-scale production of FDCA and PEF through technology licensing.
The 5,000-ton FDCA commissioning ceremony will take place on October 22, and Avantium has recently sent out a flurry of good news: the Queen of the Netherlands, Maxima, will be attending the unveiling ceremony, and on October 10, it signed a conditional supply agreement with U.S.-based packaging maker Plastipak, which utilizes PEF to package food and beverages for the North American market. The company prides itself on its innovative approach, strong regional connections, and dedication to sustainability and quality.Anouk Wissink, CEO of Royal Vezet, said, “Partnering with Avantium is in line with our mission to provide everyone with great tasting, healthy food while minimizing our environmental footprint. We are eager to demonstrate the potential of PEF packaging and its benefits for our products and Albert Heijn customers.”
Supermarket chain Albert Heijn will start by launching PEF's first salad bowl tray, before exploring expansion to other parts of the package. Marit van Egmond, the company's CEO, commented, “We are proud to further our commitment to sustainability with the launch of the PEF Salad Bowl Tray. This initiative follows our successful partnership with Refresco and Avantium to produce PEF juice bottles. By expanding our use of PEF, we continue to lead the way in providing environmentally friendly packaging solutions to our customers.” Tom an Aken, Avantium's Chief Executive Officer, said, “By combining Avantium's PEF with Royal Vezet's commitment to fresh, high-quality products and Albert Heijn's extensive market coverage, we believe we will have a significant impact on the food packaging industry, benefiting both consumers and the environment. ”
