FreshSafe PET® from KHS: Association of Plastic Recyclers recognizes recyclability achievement

摘要

The public demand for more sustainability is growing stronger. As a result the industry is increasingly concentrating on the recyclability of PET bottles. However, this type of packaging often contains composite materials which considerably hinder simple, pure-grade recycling. KHS' FreshSafe PET® technology offers the beverage and food industries a unique alternative. A wafer-thin protective layer of chemically pure glass on the inside wall of the PET container combines product protection with full bottle-to-bottle recycling. This has now been officially acknowledged by North America's Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR): this recognizes PET bottles coated using Plasmax barrier technology as meeting or exceeding APR's most stringent Critical Guidance criteria for recyclability. "Plastics are being subjected to increasingly critical questioning. People want more sustainable solutions from the industry," says Jon Elward, Head of Plastic Packaging at KHS USA, Inc. "The demand for clean recycling systems in particular is steadily gaining in significance." The gradual ousting of mixed material PET bottles which are hard to recycle is progressively opening up the market to packaging systems which are easy to recycle. In this context KHS' FreshSafe PET® technology provides a suitable alternative and has now been classified as meeting APR's~1most stringent Critical Guidance criteria for recycling. The wafer-thin glass coating applied to the inside wall of the bottle is washed off during the recycling process, producing pure PET. "We've fully satisfied the strict specifications and critical demands of the recognition process," states Elward. "This again proves that FreshSafe PET® is the only sustainable technology on the market and a reference for the recyclability of PET bottles without composite materials." With it sensitive products such as juice, wine, sauce and liquid food are protected from oxidation and carbonated beverages from carbon dioxide loss. Furthermore, compared to standard composite materials the coating process provides a much better barrier quality and ensures much longer product shelf lives.