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Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most commonly used food grade
packaging plastics due to it's chemical inertness and appealing physical properties.
as with most plastics PET is derived from oil and is formed by a polymerisation
reaction between an acid and an alcohol. its initial uses were as a synthetic fibre with
excellent wash and wear properties as well as a substrate for video,photographic
and x-ray film. as its use grew PET was modified for application in injection moulded
and extruded products, and in the early 1970's the first three dimensional structures
were produced by blow moulding techniques, initiating the rapid adoption of PET as
a material for beverage bottles.
Its properties as a lightweight, tough material with
excellent optical properties and adequate gas barrier performance for the retention of
Bottled water is the fastest
growing beverage industry in the world. according to the international bottled water association (IBWA), sales of
bottled water have increased by 500 percent over the last decade: 1.5 million tons of plastic are used to bottle water every year. plastic bottle recycling has not kept pace with the dramatic increases in virgin resin PET sales, particularly for PET bottles. It is interesting to note how the last imperative in the ecological triad of reduce / reuse / recycle, has emerged as the one given prominence. the consequences of demanding an emphasis on the first - reduction of consumption and production - puts one on the path of confrontation with a system which is seeking to function at maximum capacity, not minimum.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most commonly used food grade packaging plastics due to it's chemical inertness and appealing
physical properties. as with most plastics PET is derived from oil and is formed by a polymerisation reaction between an acid and an alcohol.
its initial uses were as a synthetic fibre with excellent wash and wear properties as well as a substrate for video,photographic and x-ray film. as
its use grew PET was modified for application in injection moulded and extruded products, and in the early 1970's the first three dimensional
structures were produced by blow moulding techniques, initiating the rapid adoption of PET as a material for beverage bottles. Its properties as
a lightweight, tough material with excellent optical properties and adequate gas barrier performance for the retention of Bottled water is the
fastest growing beverage industry in the world. according to the international bottled water association (IBWA), sales of bottled water have
increased by 500 percent |
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