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

October 8, 2010
 

MADISON, WI (October 7, 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.

For samples of the products, ordering information and design options, call Placon at 800-541-1535, or visit www.placon.com.

Headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, Placon has been a leading manufacturer of thermoformed packaging for over 40 years. Serving the medical, retail and food markets throughout North America, the privately owned company offers custom-designed packaging, stock products, and raw materials. According to Plastics News, Placon ranks among the top 20 thermoformers in the U.S.

ABOUT PLACON
For 55 years, Placon has been a leading designer and manufacturer of custom and stock plastic packaging for the food, medical, and retail markets. Placon has manufacturing operations in Madison, WI; Elkhart, IN; Plymouth, MN; and West Springfield, MA, and currently ranked in Plastics News 2020 Thermoformers Ranking Top 20. Placon delivers packaging breakthroughs that inspire better engagement between people and products with industry leading innovation and award-winning packaging designs. For more information, visit www.placon.com.