Last updated on June 14th, 2024
Inline Plastics has integrated rDPET across its full product line, making Inline the first food packaging manufacturer in the U.S. to develop high performing food-grade packaging material infused with post-consumer content born from recycling at the molecular level, known as chemical recycling.
By using rDPET coupled with the energy efficient proprietary manufacturing ‘direct to sheet’ process, Inline Plastics says it realizes the following environmental benefits in comparison to traditional PET:
- Diverts nearly 1 billion water bottles from the world’s oceans and landfills annually;
- Uses over 50 percent less energy during material production; and
- Reduces the carbon footprint by 112,000 acres of forest or emissions equal to 233 million miles driven per year.
“This announcement signals a major step forward for our company, our commitment to sustainability and ongoing product innovation,” said Tom Orkisz, chairman and CEO of Inline Plastics. “The integration of rDPET across all of our product lines was no small task; however, we know how important this solution was to our partners and their customers. Inline Plastics will continue our commitment to developing packaging solutions for a better planet.”
Key differences between rDPET and traditional PET plastics are the proprietary chemical recycling and the energy efficient “direct to sheet” process. rDPET starts with high quality post-consumer flake which is then chemically recycled at the molecular level. This process breaks down the post-consumer flake into molecules—which are polymerized with virgin ones, then turned into material with an environmentally friendly “direct-to-sheet” process.
By breaking down and reconstituting the material at the molecular level, there is no loss of strength in the ensuing rDPET sheet retaining all the characteristics of virgin material. Through this proprietary process, plastic can be turned into clean, new plastic again and again, preserving quality so it does not have to end up in a landfill. Finally, Inline Plastics takes the rDPET sheet and thermoforms it into an array of industry-leading products. The thermoforming production is powered in-part by solar panels, further reducing negative impacts to the environment.
