Klöckner Pentaplast (kp) has won two RECOUP Awards for kp Elite® Nova, its patented, lightweight mono PET tray designed to help food producers reduce material use, increase recycled content and improve recyclability without compromising performance.

Recognised in the Recycled Plastic Product of the Year and Best Plastic Product Development for Recyclability or Re-Use categories, kp Elite® Nova was developed to address a key challenge facing the food packaging industry: how to improve recyclability and reduce material consumption while maintaining the performance requirements of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) applications. The result is a high-performance mono PET tray that combines lightweight design, the potential for high levels of recycled content and compatibility with existing PET recycling infrastructure. Presented on 30 September, the RECOUP Awards celebrate innovation and best practice in plastics resource efficiency, recycling and sustainability.

Cecilia Guardado, Marketing & Innovation Director Trays, at kp said: "We're delighted that kp Elite® Nova has been recognised by RECOUP. These awards reflect the work of our teams to develop packaging solutions that help customers meet their sustainability objectives while maintaining the performance standards for modern food packaging applications."

"The development of kp Elite® Nova focused on a clear challenge: reducing material use, increasing recycled content and improving recyclability without compromise. By combining advanced engineering with a mono PET design, we've created a solution that supports more circular material flows and helps customers respond to evolving regulatory requirements and sustainability goals."

kp Elite® Nova can contain up to 100% post-consumer recycled PET and has been independently endorsed by Petcore’s Tray Circularity Evaluation Platform (TCEP) for compatibility with existing PET tray recycling systems. The tray is approximately 10% lighter than comparable MAP trays, helping customers reduce material consumption while maintaining seal integrity, rigidity and shelf-life performance for chilled and frozen food applications.

The recognition reinforces kp's commitment to advancing circularity through the use of post-consumer recycled content and packaging designed for recyclability, helping customers meet evolving regulatory requirements and supporting their Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) objectives.