Octal Market Segments

APET is now the fastest-growing material in the clear rigid plastic packaging segment because it combines clarity, gloss and mechanical toughness -- all key factors when it comes to the plastic packaging of food -- and it has real potential to deliver greater efficiency to all market segments.

Retail outlets, from large supermarket chains to small corner shops, are becoming more and more like restaurants for convenience foods. As the demand grows for these convenience products, so too does the demand for higher quality plastic packaging. Each plastics material available to the plastic food packaging industry -- Polypropylene, Polyvinyl Chloride, Polystyrene, and APET -- brings its own benefits and characteristics.

Food processors require ease of filling and sealing or closing, depending on whether the end product is to be sealed or have a snap closure. In the case of clamshell packages, APET’s mechanical traits ensure a plastic package with clarity and the mechanical toughness protects products in transit. This is unique with APET, while Polystyrene has very good clarity; Polystyrene has limits in terms of shock and vibration protection and is more prone to cracking.

APET is available with polyethylene (PE) lamination, which allows for effective adhesion of lid stock in applications like yoghurt cups, and sandwich wedges. It can also have a multi-layer structure that has a thin layer of PETG (a heat sealable form of PET) on at least one side. This allows for many of the same applications as the PE/APET laminate, and is especially suitable for consumer product clamshells, where extensive welding is the norm.

Polypropylene is an excellent heat resistant food packaging plastic, but Polypropylene does not have the rigidity of Polystyrene or APET, which makes it less suitable for stacking heavier items on table displays or in transit. While considered a clear rigid packaging plastic, Polypropylene has substantially inferior clarity compared to Polystyrene or APET.

Overall, Octal’s APET sheet can have a wide range of applications that are much more beneficial option for specific end user applications, compared to Polypropylene and Polystyrene. Many people influence the selection of plastic packaging material and the final design, and it is important that each is committed to matching the proper material and design to the application. It takes more than dedication to the optimal solution; it takes a sound understanding of the duty the package is likely to see and the strengths of each candidate material.