What is PET?

Let’s take a look at what PET is, some of the uses, and why it’s the top choice for plastic manufacturing.

If you’ve ever seen the recycling symbol with a #1 in it, you may wonder what that means. Plastics labeled as #1 are PET. You may ask, “Then what is PET?” Great question! PET is a type of plastic, but let’s get into the details of what it is, how it’s made, how it can be recycled, and more.

What is PET?

PET, or polyethylene terephthalate, is a plastic polymer chemical compound most commonly used in clear plastic items. PET may also be abbreviated as PETE, but can be identified by the #1 label inside the recycling symbol. #1 plastics are all PET/PETE material only. PET was created in the 1940s, but became widely used in the 1970’s as packaging for food, drinks, and even textiles after receiving government approval to use this material. It’s an important part of our daily supply chain and is in all kinds of containers we use every day.

What is PET used in?

PET is used in a wide variety of cases; plastic bottles, packaged goods, fruit or salad containers, retail packaging, cosmetics, polyester clothing, 3D printing material, and more. It’s incredibly versatile, cost-effective, and can be shaped in many ways. Many of your daily household goods, like cleaning products, plastic food containers, juice or water bottles, and prepackaged meals, all can come in PET containers. PET also has an advantage over many other types of plastic containers – it’s one of the easiest to recycle.

How is PET Recycled?

PET can be recycled in a fairly straightforward process. Material (like your empty soda bottles, fruit cups, packaged items, and water bottles) with a #1 recycling label are gathered and sorted. This process may entail taking off caps, labels, or other debris. Then, the materials are sanitized. Lastly, PET is ground up into “flake,” which is essentially just small chunks of plastics. Once the PET is ground into flake, the material is ready to be reused. PET flakes can be added to other PET plastic, new materials, or mixed in any combination. Once heated and extruded into plastic sheeting, it’s ready to be punched, pressed, or formed to the shape of the new product being created. This process can continue repeatedly, keeping plastics out of the landfill and circulating in goods around the world.

How Does Placon Use PET?

We primarily use PET (or rPET to denote recycled PET material) for our plastic packaging as it’s easily customizable, can be suited to a variety of industries, is cost effective, and most importantly, is easily recyclable. Our in-house recycling facility, EcoStar®, can grind used PET into flake and process it for extrusion. This creates an on-site, sustainable way for us to continually reuse plastic and keep it in circulation. This reduces our environmental impact and footprint while creating award-winning products for our customers. Our PET containers can then be recycled again, closing the loop and creating a more sustainable cycle.

PET is an important part of our daily lives. From plastic drink bottles to prepackaged food, and cosmetics to home building materials, PET is a widely used container choice for many manufacturers. When you’re looking at purchasing products, try to see if #1 is on the label – that makes it an environmentally friendly choice. And don’t forget to recycle! For more information on plastics, visit the Placonomics blog, or reach out to our team with any questions about packaging material.

Resources:

https://www.britannica.com/science/polyethylene-terephthalate

https://www.recyclingtoday.org/blogs/news/polyethylene-terephthalatethe-pet-and-its-advantages

https://www.recycletheone.com/recycling-pet-plastic/how-does-pet-plastic-recycling-work/

https://www.americanbeverage.org/education-resources/blog/what-is-pet/

ABOUT PLACON
Since 1966, Placon has been a leading designer and manufacturer of innovative and sustainable plastic packaging for medical, food, and consumer goods markets. Placon has manufacturing operations in Madison, WI; West Springfield, MA; Elkhart, IN; and Plymouth, MN, and is currently ranked in the Top 20 in Plastics News 2025 Thermoformers Rankings. Placon delivers packaging breakthroughs that inspire better engagement between people and products.