Learn your 1, 2, 3s

The Society of Plastics Industry (SPI) released a video statement on Monday clarifying the intended purpose of the marked recycled numbers found on the bottom of most plastic bottles and rigid containers.

According to SPI President and CEO William Carteaux, the resin codes are simply to help sort the type of plastics that can be properly recycled or reused.

"The resin codes do not provide guidance on the safe or intended use of a bottle or a container, as well as the product inside the container. They should not be used for that purpose.”

I guess this message did not reach this Canadian manufacturer of PET plastic containers. MPI Packaging released a statement on Wednesday touting the safety of PET plastic under code 1.

"Look for number 1 on the bottom of the bottle," says MPI Packaging president Ron O'Brien.

In other plastic news, companies such as Cerestech and DuPont recently launched new bioplastic products; Diamant introduced a new plastic bottle degrading additive, while ExxonMobil Chemical also recently launched its green films for packaging and ag greenhouse. Bioplastics by the way is under the resin code category 7 in case you did not listen to the SPI video....

This week DuPont also gave out its annual Packaging Innovation awards focusing on sustainability. Photos of this year's recipients and their products can be found on the DuPont website.