PETCORE EUROPE, the European association representing the full PET value chain, today announced the launch of GeNi, a new industry-wide initiative that brings together the PET value chain to collectively monitor food contact substances and advance food safety and human health goals.
With no international standards currently in place, laboratories operate in silos, using different methods and approaches. As a result, the industry lacks a shared picture of what substances are actually present across the PET value chain, creating gaps in food safety knowledge and making it harder to identify potential risks early. Greater consistency in testing methods can help close these gaps, but it is a means to a broader goal: building the evidence needed to make better-informed food safety decisions.
GeNi breaks down these barriers by providing a neutral, centralised hub for interlaboratory data. By bringing testing data together, the initiative enables the industry to benchmark testing performance, identify best practices, improve comparability and support greater harmonisation of testing approaches.
The urgency for this collaboration has never been greater. With hundreds of substances in plastics under increasing scrutiny from regulators, consumers and NGOs, while recycled content targets continue to rise, the PET industry faces mounting challenges in traceability, risk assessment and compliance. A clearer, collective picture of what substances are present can help the industry act earlier and more effectively.
In collaboration with KÖR, PETCORE EUROPE is launching GeNi as a platform for the entire value chain — including laboratories, experts, brand owners and recyclers. PETCORE EUROPE leads the effort from its unique position at the heart of the industry, while KÖR’s platform facilitates the collection, anonymisation and analysis of testing data.
By turning collective testing data into proactive insights, GeNi helps the PET industry build a common picture of what substances are present across the value chain and act on that knowledge before regulation requires it. The initiative aims to strengthen food safety and protect human health through collaboration and science.
Raphaël Jaumotte of PETCORE EUROPE added: „GeNi is a testament to what we can achieve when we work together. By bringing our collective testing data together, we can build a clearer picture of what is present across the PET value chain, identify potential risks earlier and make better-informed decisions that improve food safety and support human health.”
Bernd Schwarz, Chief Chemical Officer, said: „At KÖR, we believe that data should be a bridge, not a barrier. GeNi gives the PET industry the tools to turn fragmented data into a collective understanding of what is in our packaging, and what we need to do about it.”
For more information, visit GeNi Platform Website.
Source: PETCORE EUROPE / PR Calling
