Socoplas develops recyclable PET jars for jams and sauces
Working in collaboration with plastic technologists M&G Group, Socoplas launched Soco Jars 12 months ago on the Italian market and is now looking to sell the PET jars on the wider European market.
Tim Clayton, from Norman A Peroni, sales agents for the Soco Jars in the UK, said PET jars are already on the market, but what distinguishes the Socoplas products is the oxygen barrier.
Barrier system
Rather than using a multi-layer technique, Socoplas opted for an internal oxygen barrier with a PET mono-layer free of additives. As the lid is also plastic this means that the Soco Jars are entirely recyclable.
Socoplas claims the barrier system in the Soco Jars makes no compromises on performance. The Italian company says the jars are able to meet required shelf life demands (12, 24 or 36 months) and offer the necessary resistance to withstand the hot filling phases.
Clayton told FoodProductionDaily.com that PET jars do face the challenge of overcoming the traditional dominance of glass. But the distributor said Soco Jars offer a number of marketing and performance advantages for makers of jams and sauces.
Socoplas claims that Soco Jars compare favorably to glass on price and also offer other cost savings through the supply chain.
Lower weight
Transport vehicles often reach their weight limit before their volume is filled creating wasted space. Switching from glass to PET makes a substantial weight saving that makes it possible to fill more space and ultimately reduce transport costs.
Because PET is not a breakable material, food companies also do not have to factor in glass breakages into their costs.
On the marketing front, Socoplas said plastic allows brand owners to produce economically a wider range of shapes and colours than is possible with glass.
The Italian company has so far sealed three contracts for Soco Jars and is now looking outside of Italy for business. Clayton said Socoplas will be presenting the PET jars to the UK market at the Packaging Innovations trade show in Birmingham later this month.
