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The processor of plastic rollstock plus thermoformed packaging says its newest development can keep food fresh, longer, without the need for EVOH as an oxygen barrier material in a multilayer packaging.

MPW Staff

October 14, 2010

2 Min Read
Plastics packaging: Placon introduces high-barrier PET option

The processor of plastic rollstock plus thermoformed packaging says its newest development can keep food fresh, longer, without the need for EVOH as an oxygen barrier material in a multilayer packaging.

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Placon's new sheet offers oxygen barrier without use of EVOH or other non-PET barrier materials.

According to Placon (Madison, WI), packages made from the material can be recycled with no negative impact on the recycling stream, for a clear advantage over EVOH and other barrier materials. Foods' shelf life is extended via a proprietary blend of active and passive layers in the film, which Placon supplies as rollstock or in ready-to-fill thermoformed packages.

Called Ecostar HB 4000, it is a multilayer sheet that the processor predicts will see use in retail packaging of meats, poultry, seafood, cheese, produce, and processed food items. The package retains PET's natural transparency and of course has U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) food contact compliance. 

Placon won't share details on the patent pending co-extruded sheet other than to say it comprises active and passive layers with oxygen barrier performance. Once thermoformed, an instant barrier is created. The processor also claims that packaging made from this material has more consistent layer thickness than some alternative co-extruded barrier products using EVOH-type passive layers.

HB 4000 PET can be recycled in the standard PET recycling stream. In February 2011 Placon expects to open its own closed-loop recycling facility to grind and wash post-consumer bottles and thermoforms for processing into Ecostar sheet products. Placon has been using recycled content in its packaging for more than 15 years, and reckons over the last seven years it has diverted more than one billion discarded bottles from landfills. —[email protected]

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