PETpla.net Insider 04 / 2019

MATERIALS / RECYCLING PET planet Insider Vol. 20 No. 04/19 www.petpla.net 16 Using colours to add value to recycled packaging rPET in a premium look Two very public warnings issued in 2018 have to be taken to heart by the plastics industry. First, [if pre- sent trends continue] “…there will be more plastics in the ocean than fish by 2050”; second, “single-use packaging will be banned soon”. The plastics industry is under unprecedented pressure but single- use packaging is unlikely to be banned completely; it is a convenient response to the metropolitan life style and has been spread very quickly, from industri- alised countries to developing ones. Food safety, freshness and quality are all are provided by plastic packag- ing. There are, currently, no other real alternatives. The real challenge is to limit plas- tic waste going to landfill and into the oceans. An environmentally conscious culture, allied with effective collection strategies, are what is required. Claims and heated accusations that nobody cared about plastic pollu- tion and waste until the publication of alarming pictures of congested rivers and dead wildlife is far from the truth. The plastic packaging industry has already reduced the amount of mate- rial used, through light weighting. We are now seeing the rise of the “Eco- Design” philosophy and the explora- tion of bioplastics – which have, so far, struggled to establish themselves. Olive green with virgin PET (left) and with 50% rPET (right) The keywords and main challenges for the coming years are: reuse – recycle – reduce – bio. Forecasts are that 50%, 75%, even 100% rPET will be used for single use packaging within the next five years. Critical issues will be sourcing, processability, safety and aesthetics. The last issue – aesthetics – might be considered less important but that is not the case. Is the market prepared to abandon attractive packaging? Will brand owners be prepared to see their products packaged in dull-looking rPET containers? Unlikely. Colour correction of rPET Colourants and additives could come to the rescue. Repi, which has more than 45 years’ experience, is working with brand owners and converters to find solutions that allow the use of more and more rPET, both by adjusting the polymer’s mechanical performance and correcting off-shade colours. Smoky black with virgin PET (left) and with 50% rPET (right) Repi’s Anti-Yellow Range (AY) uses different liquid additives to balance the appearance of incoming material. It is possible both to correct typical rPET greenish or greyish tones and to regain brightness. More recycled plastic content can then be used to produce good-looking preform and sheet. The mechanical performance of rPET must be also kept under control, to assure the quality and strength of a bottle. Repi’s IV Enhancer, which is normally added during the injection moulding process, attracts and binds oligomers to itself and increases IV back to the level of the virgin material. IV enhancer additive helps the mechani- cal performance of a rPET bottle increasing IV level from 0,05dl/g to over 0,10dl/g, depending on the LDR. Colours are also important. Repi’s Fumé range offers a wide choice of smokey shades that cover rPET material and can give a premium and delicate Recycling Special F.l.t.r.: 100% rPET, 100%rPET with AY 00015 @0.03% and same with AY 00201 with optical brightener @0.03% Antique rose with virgin PET (left) and with 50% rPET (right) Repi’s “Fumé shades” are intended to improve rPET aesthetics and help to increase the percentage of recycled material in packaging. Lucia Buffoni, Repi Marketing Manager, offers a personal perspective on the current state of recycling in plastic packaging and explains how colorants and additives can help overcome the challenges the industry is facing.