Weather on high mountains can shift in an instant, turning bright skies into raging storms. Gusting winds lash against cliff faces, and some steps cross voids that drop sharply into nothingness. One misstep could send you plummeting endlessly. At altitudes above 20,000 feet, the air thins and every breath is a struggle—but climbers press on, driven by the unparalleled vistas.
Mountain climbing is not for everyone. Similarly, the packaging industry, particularly the sustainable PET packaging sector, demands resilience and determination.
Regulations are changing rapidly, compelling the entire packaging value chain to adapt. In Europe and beyond, stricter rules are pushing the shift toward a circular economy. The demand for recycled PET (rPET) in food and beverage packaging is growing, alongside pressure to reduce reliance on virgin fossil-based materials. While regulations and consumer expectations reinforce this need, a persistent challenge remains: mechanically recycled rPET varies in quality, with its color, strength, and resistance to hydrolysis declining over time.
Dovydas Stulpinas, CEO of Lithuania-based Doloop*, understands this challenge firsthand. With decades of experience in preforms and PET bottles, Doloop has earned a reputation for advancing regenerative PET packaging solutions.
“I’m proud of the progress we’ve made toward sustainability, and I admire the industry-wide efforts by brands and converters,” said Stulpinas. “But we must face the reality: achieving a circular economy in beverage packaging requires new recycling innovations. Mechanical rPET alone can’t deliver the quality and circularity we need. That’s why Doloop partnered with Eastman to create a beverage packaging solution that moves the industry forward, and we’re excited to present it at drinktec 2025.”
Eastman’s solution: Chemically recycled PET without compromise
At drinktec, Doloop and Eastman will feature a 100% rPET beverage bottle** made from Eastman’s Eastar™ Renew EN031, a chemically recycled PET that performs like virgin resin. This collaboration highlights the next stage in sustainable beverage packaging and offers brands a scalable way to achieve 100% recycled content.
Eastman, a global leader in recycling innovations, operates one of the largest polyester chemical recycling facilities in Kingsport, Tennessee. Using methanolysis technology, the company transforms complex polyester waste—such as colored PET packaging, carpet fibers, and thermoforms—into high-quality recycled material that would otherwise go to landfill or incineration. Eastman calls this “molecular recycling” because the process occurs at a molecular level.
Eastar Renew EN031 is part of Eastman’s Renew PET portfolio, capable of being recycled repeatedly with no loss of quality. For beverage brands focused on sustainability, it offers:
Food-safe rPET with clarity, purity, and color comparable to virgin PET. Regulatory compliance with EU food-contact standards, boosting brand credibility and consumer confidence. Process compatibility requiring no changes to existing injection molding lines, ensuring consistent yields and bottler-ready preforms. Mountain climbing is not for everyone. Similarly, the packaging industry, particularly the sustainable PET packaging sector, demands resilience and determination.
Regulations are changing rapidly, compelling the entire packaging value chain to adapt. In Europe and beyond, stricter rules are pushing the shift toward a circular economy. The demand for recycled PET (rPET) in food and beverage packaging is growing, alongside pressure to reduce reliance on virgin fossil-based materials. While regulations and consumer expectations reinforce this need, a persistent challenge remains: mechanically recycled rPET varies in quality, with its color, strength, and resistance to hydrolysis declining over time.
Dovydas Stulpinas, CEO of Lithuania-based Doloop*, understands this challenge firsthand. With decades of experience in preforms and PET bottles, Doloop has earned a reputation for advancing regenerative PET packaging solutions.
“I’m proud of the progress we’ve made toward sustainability, and I admire the industry-wide efforts by brands and converters,” said Stulpinas. “But we must face the reality: achieving a circular economy in beverage packaging requires new recycling innovations. Mechanical rPET alone can’t deliver the quality and circularity we need. That’s why Doloop partnered with Eastman to create a beverage packaging solution that moves the industry forward, and we’re excited to present it at drinktec 2025.”
Eastman’s solution: Chemically recycled PET without compromise
At drinktec, Doloop and Eastman will feature a 100% rPET beverage bottle** made from Eastman’s Eastar™ Renew EN031, a chemically recycled PET that performs like virgin resin. This collaboration highlights the next stage in sustainable beverage packaging and offers brands a scalable way to achieve 100% recycled content.
Eastman, a global leader in recycling innovations, operates one of the largest polyester chemical recycling facilities in Kingsport, Tennessee. Using methanolysis technology, the company transforms complex polyester waste—such as colored PET packaging, carpet fibers, and thermoforms—into high-quality recycled material that would otherwise go to landfill or incineration. Eastman calls this “molecular recycling” because the process occurs at a molecular level.
Eastar Renew EN031 is part of Eastman’s Renew PET portfolio, capable of being recycled repeatedly with no loss of quality. For beverage brands focused on sustainability, it offers:
Collaboration drives progress
Eastman’s molecular recycling facility, operational since early 2024, partners with leading brands to modernize recycling systems. With over a century of experience and pioneering methanolysis in the 1980s, Eastman has developed certified recycled content materials under its Renew PET line.
“Innovation positions Eastman as a leader, but collaboration is essential for circular packaging,” said Eric Dehouck, Managing Director of Eastman’s circular economy platform. The partnership with Doloop exemplifies how industry collaboration helps prepare for current and future regulatory demands.
Isaac Rosenberg, Eastman’s Sales Manager for Circular Packaging, added, “No single company or recycling technology can solve this alone. Chemical recycling complements mechanical recycling, and both are needed to address today’s complex plastic waste streams.”
Doloop’s Marius Gembutas points to Scandinavia as an example. Sweden, with its advanced deposit return system, collected around 87% of PET bottles in 2023. However, a 2025 study revealed that using 100% rPET in some bottles caused early-stage degradation—such as yellowing or reduced transparency—impacting perceived quality. Combining mechanical and chemical recycling can enhance rPET quality and meet regulatory targets, with an ideal mix of up to 80% mechanically recycled PET and at least 20% chemically recycled PET.
Doloop and Eastman plan a pilot program in Scandinavia to test Renew PET in commercial beverage applications.
“We’re eager to demonstrate Eastman Renew materials in regions with strong deposit-return systems and high consumer expectations,” Rosenberg said.
Gembutas emphasized, “What begins in Scandinavia is intended to expand across Europe. The bottles we’re introducing with Eastman are designed to scale and prove that chemically recycled content can meet virgin PET quality. At drinktec, attendees can see the clarity and quality for themselves, with Eastman experts available to discuss the technology. This isn’t just a product launch—it’s a showcase of what collaboration and innovation can achieve in sustainable packaging.”
Eastman’s molecular recycling facility, operational since early 2024, partners with leading brands to modernize recycling systems. With over a century of experience and pioneering methanolysis in the 1980s, Eastman has developed certified recycled content materials under its Renew PET line.
“Innovation positions Eastman as a leader, but collaboration is essential for circular packaging,” said Eric Dehouck, Managing Director of Eastman’s circular economy platform. The partnership with Doloop exemplifies how industry collaboration helps prepare for current and future regulatory demands.
Isaac Rosenberg, Eastman’s Sales Manager for Circular Packaging, added, “No single company or recycling technology can solve this alone. Chemical recycling complements mechanical recycling, and both are needed to address today’s complex plastic waste streams.”
Doloop’s Marius Gembutas points to Scandinavia as an example. Sweden, with its advanced deposit return system, collected around 87% of PET bottles in 2023. However, a 2025 study revealed that using 100% rPET in some bottles caused early-stage degradation—such as yellowing or reduced transparency—impacting perceived quality. Combining mechanical and chemical recycling can enhance rPET quality and meet regulatory targets, with an ideal mix of up to 80% mechanically recycled PET and at least 20% chemically recycled PET.
Doloop and Eastman plan a pilot program in Scandinavia to test Renew PET in commercial beverage applications.
“We’re eager to demonstrate Eastman Renew materials in regions with strong deposit-return systems and high consumer expectations,” Rosenberg said.
Gembutas emphasized, “What begins in Scandinavia is intended to expand across Europe. The bottles we’re introducing with Eastman are designed to scale and prove that chemically recycled content can meet virgin PET quality. At drinktec, attendees can see the clarity and quality for themselves, with Eastman experts available to discuss the technology. This isn’t just a product launch—it’s a showcase of what collaboration and innovation can achieve in sustainable packaging.”