PETpla.net Insider 07+08 / 2011

MATERIAL / RECYCLING 12 PET planet insider Vol. 12 No. 07+08/11 www.petpla.net Developing a new sensitive product packaging solution: A case study High sun protection factor Protecting sensitive beverages while maintaining cost-effective production processes can present challenges in manufacture. UV light can cause reactions in UV-sensitive food and beverages that can result in changes in taste, odour and texture. The colour of juices can be affected, for example, as can the vitamin content. Colormatrix worked with a leading international brand owner to improve UV protection in a PET container. The company required a new con- tainer that could protect up to 390nm for highly sensitive products, as well as continue to protect less sensitive products. The key objectives were:  Packaging weight reduction - Reduce the packaging weight by 10% without compromising its mechanical properties  Better protection - The lightweight container had to protect the most sensitive products against UV light up to 390nm and below 10% trans- mission  Reducing additive cost - Phase out old UV technology and replace with new more flexible, cost-effec- tive and sustainable solution  Increase recycle content- Increase the recycle content to 25% without compromising visual or mechanical performance. Challenges With light-sensitive products, improvements in one area can lead to problems in another. Lightweight- ing packaging, for example, makes it increasingly difficult to protect UV sensitive products, as the reduction in packaging weight typically reduces the wall thickness of the container. As a result, the use level of a UV blocker has to be increased to compensate for the reduced protection provided by the packaging wall. Increasing the use level of the UV blocker, however, not only increases cost, but can also lead to visual impact and contamination issues. Aesthetic quality can also be adversely affected by using higher levels of recyclate. Today’s packaging, ideally, has to accommodate a wide range of prod- ucts with different UV sensitivities. As such, a more flexible and powerful single UV additive solution is required that does not impact the day-to-day manufacturing process. Addressing the issues In the original container, Color- Matrix’s UV blocker was dosed at 0.25%, providing UV protection up to 380nm using a 26g (500ml) container. The weight of the new container was reduced to 23.5g and accordingly, the wall thickness was reduced from aver- age 0.40mm to 0.35mm. The manu- facturer wanted to create a new con- tainer that not only needed to maintain the initial protection for low sensitive products, but also had to protect up to 390nm for highly sensitive content. sensitive BEVERAGES