Klöckner Pentaplast (kp), a global leader in rigid and flexible packaging and specialty film solutions, has secured top honours at the World Catering Technology Awards 2025, with its revolutionary 100% kp Tray2Tray® innovation taking home the 'Best Packaging Solution' award. The announcement was made at a ceremony held during the Hotel, Restaurant & Catering (HRC) event on 18 March.
The solution represents the first-ever food packaging trays made entirely from recycled PET (rPET) derived exclusively from recovered trays and was recognised for elevating the landscape of tray packaging in the catering and food service sectors.
"Winning this award validates our vision of what truly circular packaging can be," said Cecilia Guardado, Marketing Director, Trays at kp. "For too long, the industry has accepted that valuable PET tray material is downcycled or lost from the food packaging recycling loop. With 100% kp Tray2Tray®, we've proven that complete circularity is not just theoretically possible - it's commercially viable today."
The technology addresses a critical industry gap, as approximately 750,000 tonnes of PET tray material is wasted annually across Europe. By developing an advanced supply chain that includes specialised sorting, recycling, and delamination processes, kp has created a solution that maintains material value throughout the entire recycling journey.
An element that captured considerable attention was kp's open-market approach to the innovation. Rather than keeping the technology proprietary, kp has developed a model that can be replicated by others in the industry, recognising that widespread adoption is essential to prove tray recyclability at scale.
"This award isn't just recognition of our innovation - it's acknowledgment that kp is successfully rewriting the rulebook on tray recycling," added Cecilia. "Our 100% kp Tray2Tray® solution demonstrates our 'Packaging with Integrity' ethos in action, creating a practical pathway to keep valuable food-grade material in the packaging loop. We're not just talking about circularity; we're delivering it in a way that maintains the highest performance standards while offering meaningful sustainability benefits to our customers."
The 100% kp Tray2Tray® solution offers compelling advantages beyond sustainability, including a reduced carbon footprint, lightweight design, excellent on-shelf appearance, and compatibility with high-speed packaging machines. The RecyClass-certified supply chain ensures complete traceability, quality, and safety of the post-consumer recycled packaging.
This victory follows kp's recent trial with Tesco and Hilton Food Group, which featured the market's first food packaging trays comprising 100% recovered rPET tray material through the kp Tray2Tray® programme.
To learn more about kp 100% Tray2Tray® and its award-winning food packaging solutions, please click here.