Lightweight PET lidding is greener, cuts costs, says company

Rollprint Packaging Products said its StreamOne lidding uses as much as 50 per cent less material and can help companies “meet recycling waste stream objectives”.​ The product has been developed to replace traditional mixed-polymer laminates lidding for sealing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) trays.

Recycling​

The company said it has developed the new product on demands from customers who were increasingly looking for greener packing solutions. The new material performs as well as traditional lidding and can be recycled in the “number one” stream along with the tray because it is made entirely from polyester. Traditional laminated combinations can only go in the “number seven”​ or “other” ​stream, it added.

“In the US Stream One is the PET waste category,”​ Rollprint director of sales and marketing Dwane Hahn told FoodProductionDaily.com. “The material is all PET and therefore recyclable as PET or Stream one in the ​US​. Number 7 is co-mingled plastics which really do not get recycled.”​

Lightweighting and cost savings​

The new lidding represents a lightweighting of up to half compared to traditional materials - which are typically 2.5 mm thick, comprised of 0.5 mm polyester and 2- 3 mm of sealant, said the company. In contrast, StreamOne lidding is available in thickness of between 1-2 mm, with 1 mm PET and 0.5 mm proprietary polyester peelable sealant.

“Our customers have been requesting a material that is easier to recycle while still meeting performance requirements. StreamOne lidding does exactly that,”​ said Hahn. “Also, because we are using less material, StreamOne™ lidding typically offers cost reduction greater than 15 percent.”​

Other features of the new lidding include a wide sealing window to run on horizontal form-fill-seal units. The lid also has a tamper-evident feature and turns white at the point of contact with the tray when it is removed without leaving residue on the flange.

The application can be used for frozen meals or “any area where PET trays or thermoformed PET is used”​, confirmed Hahn

The Chicago-based company supplies flexible, heat-sealable materials incorporating film, foil and paper to the food and pharmaceutical industries.