New recycled PET thermoform range is low cost, says PPI
The US based supplier of eco friendly flexible and rigid packaging said it is expanding its product line with this Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved rPET thermoform range as an alternative to conventional amorphous polyethylene terephthalate (APET), oriented polystyrene (OPS) and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) plastics.
David Goldenberg of PPI said that clamshells, trays and containers manufactured out of the rPET material are freezable with no special storage requirements and can be produced in high clarity clear, tinted or opaque colours.
Cost effective
He said that the rPET range will appeal to food manufacturers interested in using more environmentally responsible packaging without sacrificing performance or increasing costs.
Goldenberg told FoodProductionDaily.com that the cost competitiveness of the new range is due to the fact that the company’s proprietary additive, the PPI 4-20, enables it to lower production costs.
“Our unique formulation technique also means we can employ 100 per cent recycled PET in our thermoform range, in contrast to the more typical 50 to 75 per cent amount of recycled content in similar packaging currently on the market,” he added.
Biodegradable
Goldenberg claims that third party validation has demonstrated that the rPET packaging will biodegrade or compost depending on the environment where the material is disposed such as landfill, industrial and home compost or natural bodies of water.
“The material will biodegrade in carbon dioxide (C02) and water, aerobically or anaerobically in nine months to five years,” heclaims.
The range is also recyclable and will not negatively affect existing recycling streams, continued Goldenberg.
Currently eight out of ten plastic drink bottles in the US end up in landfills with the average person discarding 166 bottles annually, according to PPI.
While the range is now being marketed in North America, Goldenberg said that if an appropriate distributor could be sourced, PPI would be interested in releasing it onto the European market as well.
