PET, short for Polyethylene terephthalate, has been used around us for more than 80 years and a consequent number of studies have been made since then to make sure that it is safe to be used. The evolution of PET plastic has also progressed quickly and dramatically at a point where is now recyclable and biodegradable.
When it comes to food, beverage and personal care packaging, PET plastic has very often been the first choice of many manufacturers for various reasons and these reasons are as follows:
SUSTAINABILITY: PET is recyclable under code 1 which means that it can be thrown in your recycle bin at home and is usually recycled into bottles or polyester fibres. PET also comes in form of 100% rPET (recycled PET), where 100% of the packaging is made from recycled food grade plastic or biodegradable material, where a biodegradable resin is added to virgin PET to make it biodegradable in landfill. At Weltrade we encourage our customers to pick the sustainable options to decrease human impact on the environment. PET also uses less energy to be produced compared to glass, which makes it environmentally friendly in that sense.
FOOD & COSMETIC GRADE: At Weltrade Packaging our PET is food grade and BPA free and this also applies to recycled PET and biodegradable PET. This is a very important feature for us as many of our customers use our jars and bottles for food or beverages and some customers use natural ingredients for their personal cares. We make sure that clean and food grade resin is used for our preforms to avoid personal care and food/beverage products.
STABILITY: Given that many studies has been conducted regarding the use of PET, the stability results for its use in the food, beverage, and personal care industry has been positive and encouraging. PET has a great oxygen barrier ideal which does not reduce the product’s shelf-life. It is highly recommended for essential oils and protein powder, which can be an issue when using HDPE and other plastics. It is also very flexible and more durable than glass since glass can break and contaminate its environment. The durability and lightweight of PET make it also easier for transportation.
AESTHETIC: PET provides a gloss and transparent look which imitates glass. Other plastics such as HDPE and PP provides a milky look when the natural option is chosen which is not as appealing as PET. PET also provides versatility when it comes to colours as it can be supplied in solid Pantone colours or tinted. PET can be supplied in a matte finish with the sandblasting technique, and it can also handle silk screen printing and hot stamping. These options give your packaging products a more high-end and contemporary look.
We look forward to hearing from you in the food/beverage/personal care industry and how we can help you achieve sustainable, safe, competitively priced, and high-quality packaging for your consumers.
Reference: https://weltradepackaging.com.au/; https://www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/; https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/