Consumer demand leads to bio-based packaging innovations

23 November 2010 19:14  [Source: ICIS news]

BERLIN (ICIS)--The desire of major consumer companies such as Coca-Cola and Danone to promote recycling and the use of renewable resources to consumers will lead to the development of new bio-based packaging products, said Antonello Ciotti, commercial director of Equipolymers on Tuesday.

Ciotti said that Equipolymers - a joint venture between Dow Chemical and Kuwait’s PIC - was developing bio-based polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in response to consumer requests for bio-based and recycled product.

Its Viridis-10 PET currently uses 10% bio-based feedstock. Plans are to increase this to 37% in 2011.

But Ciotti said that using a recycled polyethylene terephthalate (R-PET) feedstock still poses many challenges.

There is no standard quality for R-PET flakes, resulting in a variety of commercially available product, he said. In addition, even the most intelligent sorting-and-separation technology can not resolve the problems created by the additives used in clear bottles.

Ciotti said that collection of PET has been successful with 46% of PET bottles in Europe. Collection has grown from 600 tonnes in 2003 to 1,400 tonnes in 2009.

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By: Elaine Burridge
+44 20 8652 3214

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