PET plastic is found in our daily routines and is the most recycled plastic today. The reputation of PET is sometimes controversial, but still, it is the most popular type of plastic. The recycled version of rPET provides lower environmental pollution than its original version.
rPET is beneficial as it provides low greenhouse gas consumption and oil usage. In its original version, PET, we cannot ignore the aspect of environmental pollution due to excessive carbon emissions.
The article below will give you rPET vs. PET analysis plastics to understand their various aspects.
rPET vs. PET
When we talk about rPET vs. PET, they have nearly identical characteristics. The products you want to include in your merchandise wholly depend on the nature of your business. Similarly, what is your customers’ demand or liking, and how much budget do you have allocated for this purpose.
In terms of price, rPET is higher than its PET virgin version due to the effectively higher quality. Regarding recyclability, we can easily recycle both plastics made with sustainable and reusable materials. rPET is an enhanced version of PET in which we can add certain additives and colors to make our product choice more attractive and brilliant.
The critical thing in rPET is to consider competitors’ designs so that we make the products per the market needs and demands. Moreover, the method or label we produce in rPET should be adequate for recycling.
Characteristics of PET and their Benefits
PET is usually manufactured by extracting crude oil and then making some fine granules of PET, which can be further used in making bottles and jars. It is a form of polyester with its chemical name polyethylene (or polythene).
The other names for PET are PETE, PETP, PET-P, and Virgin PET.
Due to addition or some impurities, RPET bottles give a specific dirty look. This dirty look is a trade-off for many customers. We can solve it using a lighter and slightly less sustainable mix of rPET and PET. Below are some of the qualities of PET that are also true for the modified version of rPET.
- PET is shatterproof
- The product has a longer shelf life as it has good barrier properties
- The end product is amazingly lighter in weight and convenient to use, which means it can be transported from place to place without much trouble
- High transparent which is attractive and appealing to customers as the contents of the package are precisely displayed
- The products of PET are thermostable, which means they can withstand higher temperatures and on the lower sides. The minimum and maximum temperature ranges for this product are -40 to 60 degrees
- The PET is fully reusable, re-saleable, and recycle able. Thus, it is widely accepted by many wheeling plants throughout Europe
- Due to its lower carbon footprint, PET is a more sustainable form of plastic than its many other counterparts
- We can customize it due to its single-stage injection blow molding process
- PET plastic and its products are inexpensive since they are in higher supply than any other form of plastic.
Characteristics of rPET and their Benefits
rPET is short on recycled polyethylene terephthalate. It is made from PET that comes from sources like Post Consumer or Post Industrial. rPET is significant due to its unique formulation of manufacturing. During the making of rPET plastics, 79% less greenhouse gas emission occurs. It means that we generally need less energy during the manufacture of rPET compared with the virgin PET version.
This ability allows us to produce a tinier carbon footprint as well. While in PET, the amount of carbon footprint is 0.45 CO2 per kg vs. 2.15 CO2 per kg.
From the business point of view, the introduction of rPET means we are delivering customized choices to our consumers. It means we are also expanding the plastic business to a greater extent through sustainable production and the ability to recycle it. Due to the increased demand for recycling plastic, we need more presentations. Recycled plastic is easy to manufacture; thus, lower prices are specified in the case of rPET.
In addition, rPET is a win-win for both the environment and the business. Moreover, apart from the business benefits following are the environmental gains of rPET plastics.
- In the manufacture of rPET, the energy resources and water consumptions are almost 79% less than the virgin counterpart.
- Due to the availability of high-quality local rPET, which can be obtained by recycling, we do not need to transport rPET products internationally. Thus we can save fuel and many carbon emissions due to excessive transportation.
- The ability to recycle the products gives us the benefit of saving our landfills and waters as less material enters the landfills and waters, which helps make a sustainable ecology. Sometimes, it takes years for the materials to degrade underneath the earth’s surface.
- rPET offsets are widely used to create new PET; thus, the reliance on earth sources is also limited in the case of rPET
- We can encourage the customers to a return bottles. Thus, the cleanliness of the environment is ensured by rPET due to its recycling property.
- Due to the increasing demand for recycling materials, production and transportation costs have significantly become less. Thus, in the end, we are making cost-effective products.
- When we make our customers happy by fulfilling their recycling plastics demands, we benefit significantly from the rPET business and the environment.
PET vs. rPET a Comparison
Nearly all of the characteristics of PET and rPET are the same. Hence, which one you choose to use in your business will depend on your brand’s values, your clientele’s values, your budget, recyclability, environmental friendliness, and cost.
Compared to virgin PET, rPET reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 79 percent, making it the clear winner regarding environmental friendliness. However, because high-quality granulation is currently harder to come by, rPET is more expensive than PET.
Both materials are 100% recyclable, making them sustainable and reusable. However, we can diminish the quality of rPET by adding colors and additives, though down cycling is still an option. Working with skilled designers is crucial to ensuring that design and labeling are efficient for recycling.
Final Words
It is now more important than ever to ensure your packaging supplier has the interests of your company and the environment in mind. Eighty-one percent of people believe businesses should help improve the environment, and significant financial ramifications through taxing non-recycled plastic use are being proposed.
The fact that rPET and PET are both recycled and completely recyclable resonates strongly with consumers. They are both suitable for food, drink, personal care, health, and home care products and are shatterproof, lightweight, EMA, and FDA-approved. However, rPET is a more environmentally friendly choice because it has a carbon footprint of only a quarter that of virgin PET.
There is currently a global shortage of rPET, and demand is sharply rising. Clever producers are implementing post-industrial recycling techniques and sourcing PET directly from landfills to meet demand. Additionally, there is a rise in post-consumer recycling efforts thanks to government-sponsored return bottle programs. With this consistently growing supply, costs will continue to decline, and plastic waste will be diverted from landfills, benefiting businesses and the environment.
