Extrusion International USA 2-2020

26 Extrusion International 2/2020 EXTRUSION INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS Recognized for Improved Recyclability Far Eastern New Century’s Top Green ® Heat Shrinkable PET film for shrink sleeve labels has been recognized by The As- sociation of Plastic Recyclers for meeting or exceeding APR’s Critical Guidance Protocol for Clear PET Articles with Labels and Closures requirements (PET-CG-02). The heat shrinkable PET film delivers significantly improved recyclability of post-consumer PET bottles compared to alter- native polyester materials such as PETG, according to George Pinter, a partner with Klear Plastic Ventures LLC (KPV), an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based distributor of FENC’s heat shrink- able film in the U.S. and Canada. The majority of shrink films currently used for sleeve labels made in the U.S./Canada is unable to meet the APR guidelines. “Offering a more environmentally friendly, recyclable film to our label customers and brand owners is very important,” said Pinter. “We are thrilled that APR has recognized this important development for FENC’s Top Green ® copolyester Heat Shrinkable Film.” During the PET bottle recycling process, polyester shrink sleeve labels that remain with the bottle are ground into flake and sink along with the PET bottle flake. FENC’s Top- Green ® PET film creates negligible clumping and intrinsic vis- cosity (IV) drop, both of which are detrimental to the value of the recycled PET plastic. Some of the competitive polyester shrink sleeve films melt at a temperature that is lower than the melting point of the PET bottle flake and do not crystal- Klear Plastic Ventures LLC klearplasticventures.com lize. This causes clumping during the PET bottle recycling process. Klear Plastic Ventures will work with its customers and ink suppliers to promote the use of TopGreen ® film with wash- able and non-staining ink systems, to provide a more com- plete recycling solution. Klear Plastic Ventures distributes FENC TDO, heat shrinkable film in the U.S., Canada, and other markets. KPV provides shrink sleeve film customers with local warehousing and lo- gistics, slitting, short lead times, and competitive pricing. US Department of Agriculture to Present at Agricultural Film USA 2020 Conference The event will take place in San Diego, CA, USA from August 18-19, 2020. A ripe business development opportunity is emerging in the North and South American agricultural films markets in 2020 as several unique factors converge together to create a perfect storm. Demand in two key areas in the USA – for or- ganic produce and for CBD oil and other hemp products – is creating fresh opportunities for film, resin and masterbatch producers to innovate new agricultural and horticultural cov- erings. Meanwhile, Florida’s struggle with citrus greening disease (ACP) has resulted in creative new developments in the use of metallized reflective mulch films that can protect crops effectively, not only in the sunshine state but across the whole of the United States; Latin America and beyond. In the growing market of Latin America producers are focusing on the regulatory requirements to be able to export their films to the US, EU and international markets. They’re also explor- ing the environmental impact of agricultural film usage, in- cluding the collection and recycling of traditional films com- pared with the use of biodegradable films in order to honor circular economy commitments. In Canada and in America’s Corn Belt in the Midwest innovation in multi-layer films, al- ready in wide circulation in Europe, could assist with crop protection but must be balanced with the sheer expanse of the land being farmed in these geographies. The Agricultural Film conference, opening with AMI’s full commentary on market trends from across the Americas re- gion, will offer a comprehensive picture of all of the latest developments, enabling manufacturers and growers to as- sess the size of the opportunity; protect crops and food sup- ply more readily and improve their offerings. This two-day program continues with the US Department of Agriculture outlining the regulatory criteria that growers and suppliers both need to comply with to label produce as organic in the USA. The full program can be found at: www.ami.international/events/event?Code=C1076