South Africa – To promote the use of recycled PET resin in food packaging, South African recycler and Petco member Extrupet will be introducing a PhoenixPET brand later this year.
It will be available in two different grades: one with the usual IV for thermoforming uses as in the manufacture of sandwich packs and grape punnets; and the other with a higher IV for the manufacture of PET plastic bottles. Already used by top domestic retailers such as Woolworths, PhoenixPET has proven to be in full compliance with the US Food and Drug Administration’s stringent food safety standards.
By establishing the new brand, Extrupet aims to increase market demand for the globally-certified recycled food-grade PET it produces locally. Simultaneously, the company will launch a nationwide campaign directed at both the public and packaging manufacturers regarding the need to minimise the burden that food packaging is currently placing on landfill sites.
According to Extrupet’s COO Chandru Wadhwani, the rise of ‘green consumer consciousness’ and a need for local consumer brands and their retailers to attain improved sustainability credentials were the main reasons for creating PhoenixPET. He states: ‘Packaging is increasingly being recognised as a vital concern in any brand’s value chain.’ This is partly due to pressure from environmental non-governmental organisations, he added.
With PhoenixPET, Extrupet hopes to dispel ‘market myths’ surrounding recycled food packaging. Additionally, Mr Wadhwani envisions that the new type of plastic will become ‘a benchmark for other packaging mediums on what is achievable when aspiring to achieve a cradle-to-cradle solution for packaging waste reuse’.
Extrupet confirms that the percentage of ‘next-generation material’ blended with virgin polymer has increased from conservative introduction rates of 10% to up to 50%, adding that major goods company Unilever has endorsed PhoenixPET by incorporating a 25% content in its Sunlight bottles.
According to Mr Wadhwani, he is striving to include a minimum percentage of PhoenixPET in all of Extrupet’s PET packaging and hopes to achieve examples of new packaging made from 100% PhoenixPET in the months to come.
For more information, visit: www.extrupet.com
Don't hesitate to contact us to share your input and ideas. Subscribe to the magazine or (free) newsletter.
Loading ...
