PETpla.net Insider 10 / 2010

NEWS 10 PET planet insider Vol. 11 No. 10/10 www.petpla.net European PET bottle collection increases by more than 8% Latest trends in PET recycling show mixed growth Petcore (PET containers recy- cling Europe) announced today that European post-sorting PET collection reached 1.4 million tonnes in 2009, an increase of more than 8% on 2008. The overall collection rate in 2009 rose by nearly 2.5%, from 46% to 48.4%, of all PET bottles on the market. The 2009 share of fibres as an end use for recycled PET flake decreased from 45% to 40%, while the tonnage remained almost the same. The PET sheet market tonnage resumed its growth pattern, increasing from 22% to 27%. Blowmoulding continued to grow, with more than 22% going to this outlet in 2009. The strapping market was the hardest hit by the economic recession but still consumed 7%. It was esti- mated that there is a total mechanical reclamation capacity in the European region of 1.6m tonnes, which provides the impetus for the industry to increase the current collection rate beyond 50%. Exports to the Far East fell slightly, to 16% of collected PET; 67,000t of baled PET bottles were imported from outside the area. Of the collected bales that are reprocessed in Europe, 75% is usable PET. The remainder consists of caps, labels, residues, contamination such as foreign materials and other polymers. The continuing programme of bottle weight reduction means that caps and labels form a greater proportion by weight of the collected PET package. Petcore pronounced itself generally satisfied with the increased collection rates, as recycled PET is an increas- ingly sought-after feedstock in the PET value chain. Sustainable uses are being developed to utilise the growing supply of recycled PET, including new applica- tions, into other bottles, fibre, sheet or strapping tape. Energy savings are the same, regardless of ultimate applica- tion. The EU has a target of 22.5% overall for plastics recovery. The rate for PET alone is higher in 23 countries that required by the current packaging waste legislation for all plastics. Petcore’s PET Profile publication has been updated to include reflect the 2009 collection figures. www.petcore.org PET engineering and development training in Brazil Plastic Technologies, Inc. (PTI), a global leader in PET design, devel- opment and engineering services, is bringing its technical expertise to the rapidly-growing Brazilian marketplace. It has signed an agreement with Centro de Tecnologia de Embalagem (Cetea) packaging technology research institution in the state of São Paulo. The organization is part of Ital, the Food Technology Institute of São Paulo. To help address the needs of its expanding marketplace, CETEA is organizing a technical, public PET seminar in Brazil, to be held on August 24-25 at Ital’s headquarters in Campinas, SP. PTI will be providing attending packaging and plastics companies with in-depth instruc- tion on a wide range of PET topics including: basic polymer and PET chem- istry; injection and blow moulding, package development, barriers, recycling and food grade rPET resins, quality assurance and testing. With the Brazilian marketplace positioned for rapid growth, brand owners and suppliers are look- ing for technical assistance to improve manufacturing expertise and quickly ramp up production. The educational seminar is designed to help companies achieve those objectives. Cetea was established in 1982 as a non-profit food packaging research centre. The resources generated from its products and services are directly allocated to ongoing improvement of its researchers, employees, facilities and equipment. It is a member of the International Association of Packaging Research Institutions – Iapri. www.cetea.ital.sp.gov.br Information on the PET seminar: http://www.cetea.ital.org.br/cetea/eventos/pti2010_apresentacao.htm www.plastictechnologies.com Short-neck closure introduced to North America Swiss company Corvaglia has launched its 26mm BTL (‘break-then-leak) short-neck closure in the important markets of the USA and Canada. Designed for still water, the company says that the cap itself is significantly lighter than its predecessor – 1g, compared with 1.65g – and enables a lighter bottle neck finish, reduced from 3.15 to 1.75g. With an annual volume of over 1 billion bottles and closures, Corvaglia claims that this this lightweighting develop- ment results in savings of over 2,000t of plastic material and a reduction in energy consumption of approximately 50%, while maintaining performance. Corvaglia’s CSN 26mm BTL was first launched by Ice River Springs Water Co. Inc. in Canada. US production followed in early 2009. Silver Springs Bot- tled Water Company of Florida has now used it, also. Both bottling compa- nies were interested in packaging cost reductions, as well as the potential for energy saving at all stages of the production process. www.corvaglia.ch Bioplastics Award 2010 - call for entries Trade publications bioplastics Magazine and European Plastics News are to jointly judge and present the 2010 Bioplastics Award. The award will recog- nise innovation, success and achievement by manufacturers, processors and users of bioplastic materials. There will not be any separate categories; all nominations will be considered. Nominations are currently open for the award. In order to be eligible, the suggested company, product, or service must have been developed or on the market in 2009 or 2010. Companies can nominate their own product, service or development. Entries are encouraged from across the global bioplastics community; however, the winning company must send a representative to Düsseldorf, Germany on December 1/2, 2010; the winner will be announced during the 5th European Bioplastics Conference. www.bioplasticsmagazine.de/award.