Introducing an Innovative New PET High Barrier Material with Environmental and Cost Benefits

Placon's new high barrier PET is a proprietary multi-layer material with an oxygen barrier that extends shelf life of perishable foods reducing spoilage.

Oct 13 2010 --- Placon Corporation of Madison, WI recently introduced the Ecostar HB 4000, a high barrier food-grade PET. What does this mean to retailers? Extended shelf life resulting in considerable cost savings, and the ability to recycle with no negative impact on the recycling stream.

Ecostar HB 4000 is a unique, multi-layer sheet that when converted into retail packaging, results in a truly viable environmental solution for showcasing a variety of meats, poultry, seafood, cheese, produce and processed food items. The added benefit of superior clarity will give food that “yum” factor that retailers desire.

As food retailers know, oxygen is the enemy of perishable products. Ecostar HB 4000 PET features a patent pending co-extruded sheet comprising active and passive layers with superior oxygen barrier performance. Once this multi-layer material is thermoformed, an instant barrier is created. The result is an extended shelf-life for perishable foods. Unlike many alternative co-extruded barrier products using EVOH type passive layers, Placon’s barrier PET has consistent layer thickness eliminating oxygen permeation.

Earth-friendly HB 4000 PET can be recycled with no negative impact on the recycling stream. Alternative materials, if recycled, can contaminate the PET stream but HB 4000 PET can safely be recycled with bottles and retail thermoforms in communities where recycling channels exist.

Placon continues to strengthen its commitment to sustainability with the construction of a closed-loop recycling facility scheduled to open February 2011. This cutting-edge facility will grind and wash post-consumer bottles and thermoforms for processing into Ecostar sheet products. Placon is one the first thermoforming company in the consumer packaging industry to implement its own in-house recycling. Customers will be able to meet their green initiatives by reducing the amount of bottles ending up in the landfill. Placon has been using recycled content in its packaging for more than 15 years, and over the last seven years it has diverted more than one billion discarded bottles from landfills.

Placon’s PET food grade materials are compliant with the US FDA and available in both custom thermoformed packaging and rollstock.