CAPS & CLOSURES 33 PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 0/24 www.petpla.net Additive technology enables recyclable PET closures compatible with existing bottle recycling streams PET caps in the bottle loop Sukano has developed an additive package that allows the production of monomaterial PET or rPET caps that can be recycled with the bottle. According to the company, it eliminates the need to separate caps from bottles during recycling, achieving new efficiencies. With caps comprising up to 10% of a bottle’s weight, this unlocks thousands of tons of additional bottle-grade PET for circular reuse, states Sukano. The additive package is claimed to be compatible with both thermoforming and injection moulding processes, enabling customers to transition to monomaterial bottle solutions without changing their existing production setup. Thorough testing Sukano validated the recyclability of each additive in their in-house recyclability laboratory according to the Tray Circularity Evaluation Platform (TCEP) and European PET Bottle Platform (EPBP) test protocols at concentrations higher than typical industry use. While the additive is typically used at 1-2%, in-house tests were conducted at a concentration of up to 5% with up to 50% recycled content. According to the reported results, testing for thermoforming and PET closure applications showed no measurable impact on colour, haze or intrinsic viscosity (IV), meeting the technical criteria for compatibility with the clear PET bottle recycling stream. Additional assessments examined additive accumulation over multiple recycling loops and indicated no disruption to established recycling processes. CAPS & CLOSURES The new Master in Closure Inspection IMDvista CAP MASTER First calibrated and validated in-line inspection In-line measurements with absolute values 100% repeatability Calibration tool with test certificate CERTIFICATE Calibrated System Solution Safety considerations The additive formulation was developed without intentionally added substances of concern. Sukano states that Non-Intentionally Added Substances (NIAS) screening was conducted by an independent laboratory using recognised analytical methods and evaluated against internationally accepted risk assessment principles. The aim of these assessments was to identify and mitigate potential consumer safety risks related to substance migration, supporting compliance with food contact and packaging regulations worldwide. www.sukano.com A new additive masterbatch from Sukano addresses PET caps recycling. The development aims to enable the caps to be recycled within the same recycling stream as clear PET bottles.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTY0MjI=