Buying PET flakes in Bangladesh
Used PET bottles are collected across Bangladesh, sorted by colour and washed into flakes at plants around Dhaka, Narayanganj and Chattogram. Local polyester fibre and yarn makers buy flakes for recycled fibre, often for GRS-certified garments; strapping and sheet producers buy them in place of new PET; and recyclers abroad import them by the container. A PET flakes supplier in Bangladesh is judged on a lab report, not a photo.
Roptan sources for you. Send your specification and monthly tonnage; we match it to verified recyclers, put quotes on one basis of grade, limits, wash type and packing, sample and test each lot at an independent lab, check weight and bagging at loading and deliver. You deal with Roptan only.
What to tell a PET flakes supplier in Bangladesh
- Intrinsic viscosity
- IV in dl/g with a tolerance, by a named method such as ASTM D4603. Flakes from used bottles usually measure about 0.70 to 0.80 dl/g; fibre, strapping and sheet makers set different minimums.
- PVC and other polymers
- Limits in ppm for PVC, PE and PP from caps and labels, glue and metal. A little PVC releases acid in the melt and causes black specks.
- Moisture
- Moisture at dispatch, often under 1%, and how it is tested and deducted. Flakes stored through the monsoon take up water, and wet flakes weigh more.
- Colour
- Colour sort and tolerance, by L*, a* and b* values or an approved visual standard. A rising b* value (yellowing) points to heat damage or poor washing.
- Flake size, fines and wash type
- Screen size in millimetres, a limit on fines and dust, and hot or cold wash with any friction washing or colour sorting.
- Sampling and lots
- Samples drawn with a probe from a set share of bags and combined per lot, with the lab report tied to the lot number and a sealed retained sample on both sides.
- Packing and volume
- Jumbo bags (FIBC) by net weight, bag labels by lot, tonnes per month and a container loading plan. Wet or torn bags lose weight and pick up contamination.
Tests, certificates and trade rules for PET flakes
- ASTM D4603
- Inherent viscosity of PET by glass capillary viscometer, the usual basis for the IV figure on a flake report. Ask which method the lab used.
- GRS or RCS certificates
- Recycled content chain of custody. For GRS-certified yarn and garments, the recycler needs a scope certificate and each shipment a transaction certificate from the seller's certifier.
- Basel Convention entry B3011
- Clean PET sorted for recycling falls under B3011 and does not need prior informed consent; mixed or contaminated loads may. Check the importing country's rules too.
- DoE Environmental Clearance Certificate
- Washing plants need clearance under ECR 2023 and a working effluent treatment plant. We ask to see both.
- Export Registration Certificate
- The ERC issued by the CCI&E, current and in the name on the invoice and the shipping documents.
Lead times and delivery
Typical ranges: flakes in stock can load within one to two weeks after sampling and the lab report, which takes a few days. Contract volumes run as monthly lots at the pace bottles are collected and washed. Monsoon damp slows drying, the Eid holidays pause plants, and container bookings at Chattogram can add time. Roptan confirms lot sizes and dates in the quote.
Inside Bangladesh we deliver jumbo bags or bales by covered truck to your plant in Narayanganj, Gazipur, Dhaka, Chattogram or elsewhere, weighed on a BSTI-verified weighbridge with the slip attached, with the packing list, the lot test report and a VAT invoice (Mushak 6.3). Weight and moisture can be checked on arrival, so you pay for flake, not water, and a retained sample of each lot is kept.
Buying PET flakes for export
For buyers abroad we quote FOB Chattogram (Chittagong), usually by the full container, in jumbo bags or bales, with a loading report and photos. Documents: commercial invoice, packing list with bag weights and lot numbers, bill of lading, certificate of origin, the exporter's ERC, a lab report per lot, and GRS or RCS transaction certificates where you need them. Check your country's import rules for plastic scrap before ordering.
Questions buyers ask
What IV do PET bottle flakes have?
Usually about 0.70 to 0.80 dl/g for flakes from used bottles, depending on bottle type and washing. Ask for IV on each lot by a named method such as ASTM D4603, with a tolerance, since low or scattered IV causes breaks in fibre spinning. Dry flakes to around 50 ppm moisture before melting, or IV falls.
Why does PVC contamination matter so much?
PVC, used in some labels and sleeves, sinks in water like PET, so a float-sink wash line cannot remove it, and at PET processing temperatures it releases hydrochloric acid, causing black specks and filament breaks. Set a PVC limit in ppm and ask how the plant sorts it out.
Are washed PET flakes food grade?
Not by themselves. Food-contact use needs a decontamination process approved in your market, for example under Regulation (EU) 2022/1616 or with a US FDA no-objection letter. Washed flakes are usually used for fibre, strapping and non-food sheet. Tell us the end use before we quote.
Can you supply PET flakes for GRS-certified yarn?
Yes, from GRS-certified recyclers. The seller's scope certificate must cover the product, and each shipment needs a transaction certificate so the recycled claim carries through to your yarn and garments. We check both with the issuing body before shipment.
How is weight agreed if the flakes are damp?
By testing moisture on the lot sample and deducting water above the agreed limit, or by pricing on dry weight. Weigh on a verified scale at loading and again on arrival. Put the method, the lab and the remedy for a failed lot in the contract.
How soon will I hear back about PET flakes?
Within 48 hours of a complete requirement, with a price and a delivery date. A requirement is complete when it has the quantity, where it is needed and by when.
Who do I deal with?
With Roptan, when Roptan manages the order: we buy from the verified seller and deliver to you. With the supplier directly, when you post on the requirement board and choose a quote yourself.
