The production and use of packaging contributes to global warming, pollution, material use, and natural resource depletion. Therefore, there is a need to prevent and minimize the environmental aspects of packaging production and delivery.
At European level, some strategies are moving towards this challenge. According to Petcore Europe, more than 65 billion PET containers were recycled in Europe in 2013. The same study revealed that around 56% of PET containers in circulation were collected for reclamation and recycling. This represents an increase of 4% in relation with the previous year’s figures. Thus, demand for PET as the packaging material of choice continues to grow, as a result of a 30% overcapacity in production. The extraordinary ability of PET to be recycled and reused into a wide variety of end uses allows to consider it as a key factor to reduce the packaging waste.
Having identified an attractive business opportunity, and having developed a pioneering technological solution, the company GEPACK S.L proposes a novel aerosol container based on PET with higher pressure resistance (11 bar) complying with current legislative requirements for personal care and food products. The PET aerosol container needs a new production process where two steps are required. The first step involves the injection of the preform on an injection machine; and after 24h, the second step is carried out involving re-heating, stretching and blowing processes on a blowing machine. This Aerosol based in PET solution is expected to bring reduction impact during the transport and distribution and also contribution in reducing wastage. Along with this, the new pioneering container for personal care and food products will provide differentiation in product to consumers. This new solution has also the potential to be applied in other sectors where packaging is a valuable factor of innovation.
The Aerosol PET container, considered as worldwide innovation, would imply an important growth for GEPACK, positioning them as leaders in a new, international, promising and growing aerosol market.
Innovation, people and a highly qualified R+D and sales department are the key pillars provided by GEPACK to develop and commercialize the best PET packaging to its customers. Although those pillars make GEPACK be confident about a successful business project development, the objective of submitting a SME-1 action was to reduce project risks by undertaking a Feasibility Study. The positive results achieved at phase 1 allows GEPACK to carry out the next steps of the project, keep working on technical issues that still have to be overcome, and to confirm their economic and market viability.
