How Recycled Plastic Just Got a Food-Grade Upgrade for Your Groceries

ORLANDO, FL – June 23, 2026 – The next time you pick up a container of fermented foods from Cleveland Kitchen, the tub in your hand will represent a pivotal shift in the packaging industry. A new partnership between recycling innovator PureCycle Technologies and global packaging giant IPL Schoeller is bringing food-contact containers made with 25% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic to grocery aisles across the country, a first for this scale and quality.

This launch is more than just a new container; it’s the commercial debut of a technology that promises to solve one of the biggest challenges in sustainability: creating high-purity recycled plastic safe enough for food. For brand owners, it offers a tangible solution to a rapidly tightening web of state regulations and retailer mandates. For consumers, it signals the arrival of a truly circular economy on the supermarket shelf.

A Technological Leap for Plastic Circularity

The key to this development lies in PureCycle’s patented dissolution technology. Unlike traditional mechanical recycling, which often degrades plastic quality and results in “downcycling” to lower-grade products, PureCycle’s process purifies #5 polypropylene plastic waste back to a like-new state. The resulting PureFive® resin is a clear, odorless, and high-performance material.

“The packaging industry’s challenge has always been delivering recycled content without sacrificing food safety or shelf performance,” said Pete Dias, PureCycle’s Senior Director of Market, Application and Product Development. “PureFive® resin removes that trade-off entirely. Food safety, regulatory compliance, performance and environmental responsibility no longer have to compete with one another.”

This is not chemical recycling, which breaks polymers down to their basic chemical building blocks, but a physical purification process that preserves the polymer’s structure. The technology has earned a crucial Letter of No Objection (LNO) from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, confirming its suitability for a wide range of food-contact applications, from frozen storage to microwavable packaging. This FDA clearance, alongside a GreenCircle Certification verifying its recycled content, provides the scientific and regulatory backbone for the partnership.

This breakthrough effectively creates a closed loop for polypropylene, one of the world's most common but least recycled plastics, enabling it to be used repeatedly in high-value applications like food packaging.

Navigating a New Era of Regulation and Retailer Demands

The timing of this launch is critical. The partnership provides a ready-made solution for companies facing mounting pressure from both legislators and their own retail partners. In states like New Jersey and California, laws mandating recycled content in plastic packaging are no longer on the horizon—they are in effect.

New Jersey’s Recycled Content Law, for example, now requires rigid plastic containers to contain at least 10% PCR material, a figure set to climb to 20% in 2027 when an exemption for food-contact packaging expires. PureCycle’s resin has already received conditional approval from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. Similarly, California’s aggressive laws, including SB 54, are pushing producers to reduce plastic use and increase recycling rates, shifting the financial and operational burden of waste management onto them.

Beyond statehouses, the most powerful drivers of change are often the retailers themselves. Major grocery chains like Walmart, Kroger, and Aldi have set ambitious sustainability goals, requiring their suppliers to increase recycled content and prove their packaging is recyclable or compostable as a condition of shelf placement. For a brand like Cleveland Kitchen, proactively adopting a 25% PCR container is a powerful strategic move.

“Our fermented foods are living products. They deserve packaging that reflects the same commitment to health and the planet that our customers expect from what’s inside the container,” said Luke Visnic, Cleveland Kitchen Chief Product Officer. “Partnering with IPL Schoeller and PureCycle gives us a container with meaningful recycled content, full food-contact compliance, and a credible story we can put right on our label. We’re proud to be ahead of the regulatory curve.”

From Pilot to Commercial Scale

An innovative technology is only as impactful as its ability to scale. The collaboration leans on the manufacturing might of IPL Schoeller, a global packaging leader formed from a 2025 merger, with 26 production facilities across North America and Europe. The company has been a leader in using PCR content in its European operations and has been seeking the right technology to expand its sustainable offerings in the North American market.

“We have been wanting to incorporate recycled polypropylene into the right product in North America for several years with our eye on the PureCycle resin due to its high quality, clarity, and broad use cases,” noted Melissa Vettleson, IPL Schoeller Sustainability and Materials Engineer. “We were just waiting for the right partner to make this a reality.”

This partnership provides the commercial infrastructure to meet a soaring demand. The global market for food-grade recycled polypropylene is projected to more than double by 2036, but supply currently lags. PureCycle is racing to fill that gap. Its flagship plant in Ironton, Ohio, is designed to produce 107 million pounds of resin annually. Ambitious plans are underway for a massive new hub in Augusta, Georgia, and global expansion into Belgium and Thailand, part of a strategy to bring one billion pounds of annual recycling capacity online by 2030.

“This partnership with PureCycle will allow us to expand our sustainable packaging portfolio with products that deliver on both the environmental and performance expectations brands demand,” said Julie Barnwell, a Product Manager at IPL Schoeller.

What This Means for the Consumer's Shopping Cart

For the everyday shopper, these industry-level shifts are now translating into tangible changes in the grocery aisle. The Cleveland Kitchen container demonstrates that sustainability does not require a compromise on quality or safety. Research shows a strong and growing consumer appetite for eco-friendly products, with a majority of shoppers willing to pay more for goods in sustainable packaging. However, those same consumers are wary of “greenwashing” and demand transparency.

The collaboration’s strength lies in its verifiable claims: a specific percentage of recycled content (25%), certified by a third party (GreenCircle), and approved for food contact by the highest authority (FDA). For Cleveland Kitchen, a brand already built on sourcing integrity and responsible production, the new packaging powerfully aligns its external container with its internal values. This move not only solidifies its position as a market leader but also empowers consumers to make purchasing decisions that reflect their own environmental values, turning a simple grocery run into a vote for a more circular economy.