NPE ’18: Light-blocking additives help boost PET sales to dairy

ORLANDO (ICIS)–Light-blocking additives that preserve a clear colour for bottles are helping polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sellers increase sales to the dairy industry, according a marketing director at PolyOne.

“Milk will spoil quickly if exposed to visible light, so the challenge in devising PET bottles for the dairy industry involves finding a way to block visible light without using carbon black as consumers prefer clear or white-coloured bottles,” said Gary Fielding, global marketing director of the colour, additives and inks division at PolyOne.

He made his comments on the sidelines of the National Plastics Exposition (NPE) on Tuesday.

“PolyOne’s Lactra SX additive blocks 99.99% of UV and visible light, allowing the development of PET bottles for use in the dairy industry.  In Europe and North America, consumers have easy access to refrigerated dairy products.  In emerging economies such as South America, China and southeast Asia, consumers need a product with a longer shelf life. This has lead dairy producers in these regions to favour cardboard packaging rather than PET,” Fielding said.

“PET bottles with the Lactra SX additive have been a real game-changer in Asia, allowing the dairy industry to shift from cardboard to PET bottles for their packaging needs. Compared with cardboard, PET offers a lower total cost of manufacturing and improves sustainability as PET is more recyclable than cardboard.”

Sponsored by the Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS), NPE2018: The Plastics Show takes place on 7-11 May in Orlando, Florida.

Interview article by Zachary Moore