Eye-catching, high-performance, resource- and cost-efficient thermoformed food packaging

16-Jul-15

Thermoformed food packaging that is eye-catching, high-performance and resource- and cost-efficient has been created by leading polyolefins additives supplier, Milliken. UltraClear PP clarified with Milliken’s Millad® NX™ 8000 series sets a new clarity standard for PP that is comparable to glass-clear materials. Addressing the trend for efficiency and consumer appeal, UltraClear PP is at the forefront of delivering exceptional aesthetics and lowest weight potential for thermoforming and sheet packaging, alongside further sustainability-related benefits. Millad NX 8000 gives PP a clarity boost that overcomes the traditional undesirable milky appearance of PP in thermoforming, thereby creating highly-attractive transparency similar to PET for sheet and thermoformed applications such as meat trays, clamshell containers and lids. UltraClear PP also offers important performance benefits such as mono-material packaging, easy seal, chemical resistance, impact resistance and heat resistance. The material’s excellent heat resistance further extends application opportunities by enabling microwaveability and hot fill capability. Proven statistics support UltraClear PP’s productivity improvements, energy savings, low carbon footprint and cost-efficiency compared to alternative plastics. For example, at-booth samples will demonstrate its ability to offer a 17.8% weight saving compared to PET based food trays, with possibilities to produce 70 trays from 1kg of PP compared with 57 trays from 1kg of PET. “UltraClear PP offers a highly-desirable set of performance and sustainability benefits for thermoformed food packaging for converters and during and post consumer use. As a mono-material solution UltraClear PP can be recycled easily, unlike multi-material or multi-layered PET alternatives. This supports a circular economy that results in end-of-life solutions in further applications, such as automotive, furniture, containers and appliances,” comments Sami T.K. Palanisami, Milliken’s Marketing & Sales Manager Plastic Additives.