PET or polyethylene terephthalate is increasingly replacing PVC or polyvinyl chloride. Let’s see the main differences and considerations of these two plastics:
- PET is more expensive than PVC but, unlike PVC, it is environmentally friendly.
- PET is 100 per 100 recyclable, does not lose its fundamental properties during the recovery process and can therefore be transformed repeatedly to produce fine products.
- Because of its partial toxicity, PVC is not suitable for food packaging. PET, on the other hand, is widely used in the food sector: mostly for packaging beverages and, to a lesser extent, food.
- PET is non-toxic, tasteless, resistant to corrosion, anti-filtration and, also because of these characteristics, is increasingly used in food packaging.
- PET packaging complies with the strict hygiene conditions imposed in the food, cosmetic and pharmacological sectors. This is why it is used in the packaging of products from these industries.
- Compared to PET, PVC has a lower resistance to temperature and has a smell: even these characteristics do not recommend its use for food packaging.
Today, PET is used everywhere. Europe, North America and Asia are the countries that make the most of this valuable material, mainly for the production of beverage packaging.
Crystal-clear transparency, low weight, high strength and long service life are the attributes that make PET the modern, popular synthetic material it is today. Thanks to its properties, PET is being used in more and more areas. From container production to film production to textiles, the possibilities of PET are endless. Years of research and development have transformed PET into one of the most innovative and future-oriented materials for the manufacture of modern packaging. Constantly improved production techniques have also made it possible to optimise the material in such a way that the range of possible applications for this incredible material has been extended.
All Farmo Res packaging machines use PET as a packaging material, among others.