35 EVENT REVIEW PETplanet Insider Vol. 18 No. 0/17 www.petpla.net PRS Europe 2021review Safety and circular economy can go hand in hand by Lucia Buffoni, Marketing Manager Repi Group If we talk of safety, plastics and packaging pop up. In such an emergency contingency, plastics have proven once more to be the most reliable and affordable solution for personal protection. Specialty additives and colours allow the incorporation of increasing quantities of recycled material, representing a step forward to circularity. If we look at the world consumption rates of 2020, single use packaging is at a record high and this will last for a while, together with the demand of protection devices. What about circulari ty in such a context? Reaching a circular economy means structuring economies on the virtuous closed loop of make-use-recycle in which every product is designed to be re-used to generate other products and so on. Looking at plastics in packaging, they help reduce CO2 emissions of the packaging, especially when it incorporates recycled materials. A PET bottle made of 50% rPET has a lower environmental impact than a tin can or a glass bottle, the least environmental friendly. Having said that, there are ways to make a plastic packaging even more sustainable. One way is choosing additives and colours that add performance and aesthetics while having negligible impact on its recyclability. This is at the basis of Repi’s Refit range made of liquid additives such as toners for rPET and IV enhancers and a line of low-impact colours that starting from the shade of rPET, give premium look to recycled packaging. www.repi.com
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