TopGreen copolyester film recognized for improved recyclability APR
Far Eastern New Century’s TopGreen heat shrinkable PET film for shrink sleeve labels has been recognized by The Association of Plastic Recyclers for meeting or exceeding APR’s Critical Guidance Protocol for Clear PET Articles with Labels and Closures requirements (PET-CG-02).
The heat shrinkable PET film delivers significantly improved recyclability of post-consumer PET bottles compared to alternative polyester materials such as PETG, according to George Pinter, a partner with Klear Plastic Ventures LLC, an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based distributor of FENC’s heat shrinkable film in the US and Canada.
As said, the majority of shrink films currently used for sleeve labels made in the US and Canada is unable to meet the APR guidelines.
“Offering a more environmentally friendly, recyclable film to our label customers and brand owners is very important,” said Pinter. “We are thrilled that APR has recognized this important development for FENC’s TopGreen copolyester heat shrinkable film.”
Klear Plastic Ventures is a distributor of FENC’s heat shrinkable film in the US and Canada.
During the PET bottle recycling process, polyester shrink sleeve labels that remain with the bottle are ground into flake and sink along with the PET bottle flake. FENC’s TopGreen PET film creates negligible clumping and intrinsic viscosity (IV) drop, both of which are detrimental to the value of the recycled PET plastic.
Some of the competitive polyester shrink sleeve films melt at a temperature that is lower than the melting point of the PET bottle flake and do not crystallize. This causes clumping during the PET bottle recycling process.
KPV will work with its customers and ink suppliers to promote the use of TopGreen film with washable and non-staining ink systems, to provide a more complete recycling solution.
Far Eastern New Century is a 70-year-old Taiwanese company with an international reputation for technology, quality and service. In addition to heat shrinkable film, FENC is one of the largest PET resin producers in the world. The company is also one of the world’s largest recyclers of PET bottles.
