PET Overview for Packagers

TRUSTED PACKAGE

PET and recycled PET have been safely used in food, beverage, and other packaging for over 25 years. A PET package can contain up to 100 percent recycled PET, and can be recycled again and again. PET never contains BPA or phthalates.

INNOVATIVE DESIGN

PET’s versatile material properties are unlike that of any other packaging, allowing designers to translate a brand’s vision to reality through eye-catching design.

RECYCLABLE

Recyclability is a key component of PET sustainability, so be sure your PET packaging innovations—for both bottles and thermoforms—are recycling-friendly, from the package itself to the caps, seals, liners, labels and adhesives used.

Recycling availability: Over 90 percent of U.S. households have PET bottle recycling available to them, with 60 percent having access to non-bottle PET recycling.

SUPERIOR PROPERTIES & PERFORMANCE

Clarity: PET is your silent salesperson, so unleash your brand with the superior clarity of PET. Beverage, produce, bakery, deli, and many other products rely on PET to showcase their quality.

Barrier: PET is an inert, safe material with outstanding barrier properties; it is widely used in food and beverage applications to help keep products fresher longer, reducing waste.

SUSTAINABLE PET

Less packaging needed: Since 2010, collaboration within the PET value chain has helped to cut the weight of PET water bottles by 17 percent. This reduces use of not just PET, but also the secondary packaging and fuel used in product transport.

Domestic recycling and reuse: Nearly 2 billion pounds of PET bottles and jars are collected through recycling in the United States and Canada annually, with about 750 million pounds of clean, recycled material going back into domestic production of new packaging.

Durable: Resistant to stress cracking, PET won’t fracture or break under most applications as compared to other materials.

Functional Design: PET has excellent thermoform properties allowing packaging designers to build in locking tabs, stacking, and tamper evidence features.