Klockner pentaplast continues to broaden its smartcycle brand of films containing recycled content with a new pet film partly made from discarded plastic bottles. The company, based in germany but with u.s. Operations in gordonsville, va, has steadily built its niche in sustainability for the past two years with a host of monolayer films using recycling content. But its new film, released in august, expands its line to food thermoforming applications with a multilayer film that provides both a barrier for longer shelf life and postconsumer recycled content. In north america, the smartcycle films can use either 25 or 50 percent recycled pet rpet from bottles, said klockner marketing director chris findley. The laminated films use recycled content produced at klockner&rsquos bottle recycling facility near montreal and recently received u.s. Food & drug administration fda approval for use with direct food contact. The films can potentially be used with thermoformed containers of meats and cheeses or for refrigerated food products, offering both a heat lidding stock and additional oxygen barrier for moisture, gases, and aroma, offering one of the first films on the market to do so and contain recycled content, findley stated. The company partnered with thermoformed container distributor packaging 2.0 llc on the smartcycle film, placing a brand logo on the containers that originates from the petaloid base found on pet bottles. The company hopes to build on its already strong film base with the recycled materials, building a distinct logo that consumers recognize, findley said. &ldquoit&rsquos something we want to resonate with consumers and be very tangible in their efforts to use recycling bins,&rdquo he said. Because the film is multilayer, it cannot be recycled. However, klockner is collecting used bottles for the process and saves at least 17 percent in greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional films.
