Switching PET preforms to recycled content (rPET) is the single biggest lever a beverage buyer has on packaging carbon — and the maths is fully derivable. This reference gives the exact CO₂e savings, plus the neck-finish and weight references MENA buyers ask for most. Every figure here is computed from published factors or Delta El Nile for Industry’s public catalogue — nothing is estimated.
rPET CO₂e savings — per million preforms
Using the cradle-to-resin factors on our Carbon Calculator — virgin PET 2.34 and rPET 0.60 kg CO₂e/kg — a 30% rPET blend carries 1.818 kg CO₂e/kg. For one million preforms:
| Preform weight | 100% virgin | 30% rPET | 100% rPET |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 g | 28.08 t | 21.82 t | 7.20 t |
| 15 g | 35.10 t | 27.27 t | 9.00 t |
So a 15 g CSD preform moving from all-virgin to 30% rPET saves 7.83 t CO₂e per million units; at 100% rPET the saving is 26.1 t. Scale linearly with your annual volume, or model your exact weight and blend in the Carbon Calculator.
Neck-finish quick reference
The neck finish is fixed before the bottle is blown and must match your filling line and closure. The four most common on MENA beverage lines:
- PCO 1881 — carbonated soft drinks (the global CSD standard).
- 29/25 — still water.
- 32/15 — juice & dairy.
- 29/21 — edible oil.
Deciding between two finishes? See 29/25 vs PCO 1881, or filter by neck in the Product Finder.
Preform weight by application
Weight follows both volume and application: at a given volume, carbonated bottles run heavier than still water because the wall must hold CO₂ pressure. Delta El Nile for Industry’s public range spans 9 g (330 ml water) to 668.5 g (19 L returnable). For the exact weight in your application, neck and volume, use the Product Finder or the full SKU table; the trade-offs are covered in our preform weight guide.
Map your market’s rPET rules
Recycled-content targets and food-contact rPET rules differ by country, so confirm the mandate and timeline for each destination you ship to rather than assuming a single regional figure. Before specifying recycled content, verify the food-contact process authorisation behind the resin — the essentials are in our rPET food-contact buyer guide.
Methodology: CO₂e figures are cradle-to-resin (PET production) using virgin 2.34 and rPET 0.60 kg CO₂e/kg; blend factors are linear by mass; tonnes shown are per 1,000,000 preforms at the stated gram weight. They exclude conversion, transport and end-of-life.