Drink Asia Drink Asia March April 2019 | Page 8

Trends
FRESHSAFE PET® FROM KHS:
ASSOCIATION OF PLASTIC RECYCLERS
RECOGNISES RECYCLABILITY ACHIEVEMENT
• Technology combines product protection with recyclability
• Better barrier properties than composite materials
• Growing demand for clean recycling systems for PET bottles
D
ortmund/Hamburg, March 26,
2019 – The public demand for
more sustainability is growing stronger.
As a result the industry is increasingly
concentrating on the recyclability of
PET bottles. However, this type of
packaging often contains composite
materials which considerably hinder
simple, pure-grade recycling. KHS’
FreshSafe PET® technology offers the
beverage and food industries a unique
alternative. A wafer-thin protective
layer of chemically pure glass on
the inside wall of the PET container
combines product protection with full
bottle-to-bottle recycling. This has
now been officially acknowledged by
North America’s Association of Plastic
Recyclers (APR): this recognizes PET
bottles coated using Plasmax barrier
technology as meeting or exceeding
APR’s most stringent Critical Guidance
criteria for recyclability.
“Plastics are being subjected to
increasingly critical questioning. People
want more sustainable solutions from
the industry,” says Jon Elward, head
of Plastic Packaging at KHS USA,
Inc. “The demand for clean recycling
systems in particular is steadily gaining
in significance.” The gradual ousting of
mixed material PET bottles which are
hard to recycle is progressively opening
up the market to packaging systems
which are easy to recycle. In this context
KHS’ FreshSafe PET© technology
provides a suitable alternative and has
now been classified as meeting APR’s
most stringent Critical Guidance criteria
for recycling. The wafer-thin glass
coating applied to the inside wall of the
bottle is washed off during the recycling
process, producing pure PET. “We’ve
fully satisfied the strict specifications
and critical demands of the recognition
process,” states Elward. “This again
proves that FreshSafe PET® is the only
sustainable technology on the market
and a reference for the recyclability
of PET bottles without composite
materials.” With it sensitive products
such as juice, wine, sauce and liquid
food are protected from oxidation and
carbonated beverages from carbon
dioxide loss. Furthermore, compared
to standard composite materials the
coating process provides a much better
barrier quality and ensures much longer
product shelf lives.
APR aims to improve recycling
quality of PET bottles
“This technology considerably facilitates
recycling and at the same time improves
the barrier properties of PET bottles,”
confirms Steve Alexander, executive
director of the APR. Through its
recognition program the organization
aims to improve the recycling quality
of plastic bottles. According to Elward,
interest among bottlers is growing in
the system which has already been
tried and tested many times over on the
market. “There is an increasing demand
for sustainable packaging.” With the
recognition issued by the APR bottlers
and recyclers can be more confident
the technology supports the American
PET recycling market. “This is a
significant step in further establishing
this technology,” Elward believes.
The EPBP also gives FreshSafe PET®
top marks. In its design guidelines the
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March-April 2019
platform rates the materials used with
regard to their recyclability using a
traffic light system. The SiOx coating
is described as being the only fully
compatible barrier technology.
KHS calculates individual TCO
Beverage producers of course incur
additional overheads when they
invest in FreshSafe PET© yet these
quickly pay off as the overall operating
costs at the plant are reduced. When
they use this system bottlers can
switch to less expensive standard
PET preforms, relieving them of the
obligation to source preforms from a
specific manufacturer. KHS offers plant
operators an individual consideration of
the total costs accrued when using its
barrier coating technology. “Measured
against the huge benefit of additional
product protection and longer product
shelf lives in particular, the costs per
bottle are actually lower than when
conventional composite materials are
used,” smiles Elward.
For more information go to: www.khs.com/
en/media