OCTAL Polyester Sheet Cuts Carbon by 25%

by | Jan 12, 2012

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OCTAL Petrochemical’s DPET product, the world’s first direct-to-sheet polyester sheet, has a carbon footprint 25 percent lower than conventional APET packaging materials, it has emerged.

DPET can be used for packaging yogurt, meat, cheese, baked goods and household consumer goods. By deploying unique production methods, OCTAL has eliminated five energy intensive stages of the conventional sheet production process, says the Sustainability Consortium at the University of Arkansas, a body that has carried out work for the petrochemical firm.

The result is a product with increased cost savings of as much as 24 percent and improved optical and mechanical properties that boast a carbon footprint 25 percent lower than conventional APET, the Sustainability Consortium says.

Energy consumption has been reduced by 67 percent during OCTAL’s manufacturing process compared to conventional APET. All the energy used in manufacture is derived from clean-combustion natural gas.

In other packaging news, a new design of coffee cup has eliminated the use for lids. The Compleat boasts flaps – similar to those found on classic Chinese food take-out boxes – that fold over to seal in the liquid while creating a sipping spout, reports Sustainable Brands.

Eliminating lids means less shipping, less materials used in manufacture and lower environmental impacts, the web site reports.

In October last year, Canadian coffee and doughnut chain Tim Hortons unveiled a way to recycle its hot beverage cups into take-out trays, reducing its waste. The project caught the eye of Starbucks. The Seattle-based chain is looking for a way to recycle its polyethylene-lined paper cups by 2015.

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