SABIC® PP helps meat tray maker ES-Plastic achieve important cuts in materials usage, costs and environmental impact

Sittard, the Netherlands – October 17, 2011 – A new meat tray from a well-known European packaging thermoforming company is 20 % lighter than its predecessor, thanks in part to a high performance polypropylene from SABIC.

ES-Plastic GmbH & Co. KG, a highly regarded European producer of thermoformed trays used in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) of fresh meat, is using SABIC® PP (polypropylene) materials to help minimize weight while increasing performance.

The latest product from Germany-based ES-Plastic, the Evolution tray, weighs 10 g, compared to 12,6 g for the version it replaces. The company achieved the reduction by using SABIC® PP grades, while fine-tuning its sheet extrusion and thermoforming processes.

Many homopolymers to choose from

SABIC has a wide portfolio of polypropylenes, with SABIC® PP 526K and SABIC® PP 527K being its most prominent homopolymer grades for thermoforming. By using SABIC grades,
ES-Plastic has increased the value of its products and created environmental advantages.

Georg Holler, Product Engineering Manager at ES-Plastic, says: “Even though the sheet used to make the trays is notably thinner than for previous versions, the new trays are just as stable and are easier to handle. The trays also have improved low temperature impact properties and optimal barrier to gas and water vapour.”

Holler adds: “We have been working on weight reduction in our trays for many years. Our latest product is called “Evolution”, but we think that what we have achieved is actually revolutionary. Typical trays less than ten years ago weighed twice as much as this one. We are making an important contribution to resource reduction. SABIC’s innovative grades has given ES-Plastic the tools to achieve this goal.”

Less weight, smaller carbon footprint

Around 2 kg of CO2 are released during the production of 1 kg of PP*, so this weight reduction of 20% has important implications for the processor’s carbon footprint. If all PP produced by SABIC for thermoforming yielded similar savings, this would be the equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions of 8.160 average European cars. And if SABIC® PP were used for all European PP thermoforming applications, the number of cars would be closer to 100.000.

In addition, for every one million trays, ES-Plastic’s customers are saving over €3.300 in “Green Dot” charges levied by Duales System Deutschland (DSD) GmbH German recycling group, and it is also helping reduce the environmental impact of the trays along the production chain.

Taking a holistic approach to product development

Tjerk Lenstra, SABIC Senior Technical Marketing Engineer, and responsible for applications in thermoforming thin wall packaging and blow moulding, comments: “SABIC takes a holistic as well as technical approach to end product developments. The packaging industry is increasingly in the spotlight over materials conservation and environmental care. SABIC can play an important role in making sure the industry meets its obligations in this regard. The ES-Plastic trays are an excellent example of how we can achieve this in practice.”

*based on numbers from PlasticsEurope

ENDS

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) ranks among the world’s top petrochemical companies. The company is among the world’s market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers.
SABIC recorded a net profit of SR 21.5 billion (US$ 5.73 billion) in 2010. Sales revenues for 2010 totaled SR 152 billion (US$ 40.5 billion). Total assets stood at SR 317.6 billion (US$ 84.5 billion) at the end of 2010.
SABIC’s businesses are grouped into Chemicals, Polymers, Performance Chemicals, Fertilizers, Metals and Innovative Plastics. SABIC has significant research resources with 18 dedicated Technology & Innovation facilities in Saudi Arabia, the USA, the Netherlands, Spain, Japan, India and China. The company operates in more than 40 countries across the world with 33,000 employees worldwide.
SABIC manufactures on a global scale in Saudi Arabia, the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. SABIC’s overall production has increased from 35 million metric tons in 2001 to 66 million metric tons in 2010.
Headquartered in Riyadh, SABIC was founded in 1976 when the Saudi Arabian Government decided to use the hydrocarbon gases associated with its oil production as the principal feedstock for production of chemicals, polymers and fertilizers. The Saudi Arabian Government owns 70 percent of SABIC shares with the remaining 30 percent held by private investors in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

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This release was published on openPR.