The United Arab Emirates has taken a significant step forward in its circular economy agenda with the issuance of Ministerial Decision No. (21) of 2026 by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT), which extends the regulatory framework governing the use of recycled plastics in food-contact applications to polymer types beyond recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET), as per sources. 
The decision, welcomed by industry bodies as a landmark development in UAE sustainability policy, means that other recycled plastic types — including polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS). — can now be approved for use in packaging that comes into direct contact with food, provided defined safety and quality conditions are met. 

The new ruling builds directly on a foundational 2023 decision in which MoIAT first opened the door to recycled plastics in food-contact packaging. Announced at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in January 2023, that earlier ministerial decision permitted the use of rPET produced at MoIAT-approved recycling facilities, subject to strict certification requirements under the UAE Regulation for Control on Food Contact Material.  
The Circular Packaging Association (CPA) described the issuance as "a key milestone in enabling the safe use of recycled plastics in food-contact applications beyond rPET."