Packaging is one of the main sources of plastic waste, with an estimated 36% of all plastic produced in a year used for this application. As consumer demand for sustainable packaging continues to increase, brands have ramped up efforts to find appropriate solutions.
Last year, for the first time, a PET resin made from captured carbon was successfully produced and used in packaging applications. Partners LanzaTech Global, Inc., an Illinois-based carbon capture and transformation company and packaging specialist Plastipak Packaging, headquartered in Michigan, announced the launch of PPKNatura in May 2023, the world’s first PET resin made with LanzaTech’s captured carbon emission-based monoethylene glycol, or MEG.
Swiss retailer Migros and its subsidiary Mibelle Group became the first to use this PET in in-house brand packaging, including PET bottles for smoothies. The retailer has also packaged its household cleaning products in containers made using LanzaTech ethanol as a key ingredient.
Settings it goals for 2024, Plastipak said it expected more orders to incorporate PPKNatura, giving carbon capture a greater place in the packaging industry.
Now, France-based Qualiform, a manufacturer of plastic bottles for the cosmetics market, has launched a PET bottle incorporating 30% PPKNatura. The company said this helps reduce CO2 emissions by 22%, compared to conventional PET – the equivalent of 620 g of CO2 saved for one kilo of PET material.
“This way, we offer our customers the opportunity to significantly reduce their Scope 3 carbon footprint without aesthetic compromises, and we are taking a major step towards our shared goal of carbon neutrality by 2050”, said Stéphane Perrollier, CEO of Qualiform.
PET is a polyester consisting of 70% terephthalic acid and 30% MEG by weight. MEG is most commonly produced from virgin fossil sources, using ethylene as the starting material, although plant-based MEG is also available.
LanzaTech’s CarbonSmart MEG uses carbon emissions from steel mills or gasified waste biomass. The technology provides a sustainable pathway to produce a range of platform chemicals. In this case, bioengineered bacteria convert carbon emissions directly into MEG through fermentation, ‘much like a brewery’ said LanzaTech. The technology bypasses the need for an ethanol intermediate and simplifies the MEG supply chain.