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Study looks at factors affecting water bottle recyclability

Study looks at factors affecting water bottle recyclability
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To meet sustainability initiatives, many water bottlers have lightweighted their polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containers. However, a recent study conducted by Holland, Ohio-based Plastic Technologies Inc. (PTI) has found that these bottles might meet consumer expectations for convenience and price but may not minimize the bottles’ carbon footprints.

PTI provides preform and package design, package development, rapid prototyping, preproduction prototyping and material evaluation engineering for the plastic packaging industry.

While PET resin suppliers have benefited greatly from the growth of single-serve water bottles, significant research has not been focused on the performance impact and the validation of sustainability assumptions, PTI says. The company, a leader in plastic packaging development, adds that it wanted to provide brand owners with additional information to facilitate the decision-making process.

Since the early 2000s, the weight of a 0.5-liter (16.9-ounce) water bottle has been reduced in half, possibly pushing acceptance limits for most consumers, PTI says. While many assume that lighter-weight bottles only have positive benefits, the company sought to find out if this was the case.

The PTI study and whitepaper found a wide variation in performance, weight and recyclability in the bottles examined. All of the packages were commercially produced for consumers and procured from retail store shelves in the United States, Europe and India.

The lighter weight as well as design and label choices have an impact on postconsumer recovery, according to the study. The decisions made during the design phase not only have to meet physical performance requirements but also should not negatively impact current recycling systems. While weight reduction results in a lower carbon footprint, it was found that ultra-lightweight bottles can negatively impact the effectiveness of postconsumer package waste sorting and recycling systems.

According to the study, many of the samples did not factor in generally accepted recyclability guidelines during the design process. In some scenarios, the PET package design had strong shelf presence and met the functional requirements; however, the bottle color, label, glue or ink components had a significant impact on package recyclability.

The study offers data on package weights, wall thickness, pressurization, volumes, optical quality, color, haze and recycling performance of various commercially available PET water bottles. 

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Source: Recycling Today
Study looks at factors affecting water bottle recyclability
<![CDATA[To meet sustainability initiatives, many water bottlers have lightweighted their polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containers. However, a recent study conducted by Holland, Ohio-based Plastic Technologies Inc. (PTI) has found that these bottles might meet consumer expectations for convenience and price but may not minimize the bottles’ carbon footprints. PTI provides preform and package design, package development, rapid prototyping, preproduction prototyping and material evaluation engineering for the plastic packaging industry. While PET resin suppliers have benefited greatly from the growth of single-serve water bottles, significant research has not been focused on the performance impact and the validation of sustainability assumptions, PTI says. The company, a leader in plastic packaging development, adds that it wanted to provide brand owners with additional information to facilitate the decision-making process. Since the early 2000s, the weight of a 0.5-liter (16.9-ounce) water bottle has been reduced in half, possibly pushing acceptance limits for most consumers, PTI says. While many assume that lighter-weight bottles only have positive benefits, the company sought to find out if this was the case. The PTI study and whitepaper found a wide variation in performance, weight and recyclability in the bottles examined. All of the packages were commercially produced for consumers and procured from…

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