The Plastic Packaging Tax that was introduced in April 2021 created a financial incentive for companies to increase the amount of recycled plastic that they use in their products. Packaging containing 30% or more Post Consumer Recycled (PCR) plastic is exempt from the tax (currently levied at £210.82 per tonne).
Demand quickly led to a surge in polyethylene (PET) plastic made (in whole or significant part) from PCR plastic. PET plastic is a very common packaging material - with e.g. most drinks bottles being manufactured from this substance. You may have observed that the once completely transparent bottles that contained fizzy pop have taken on a greyish hue as a result of this industry wide incorporation of PCR into PET plastic packaging.
Bottle caps are made from a different type of plastic: typically polypropylene (PP). This type of plastic has proven more resistant to the incorporation of PCR. Across the plastic manufacturing industry, teams (including our skilled product development technicians at Coda) are working on solutions that incorporate PCR into caps and closures whilst maintaining all the features that make PP a desirable material in the first place - especially its durability, versatility and ability to take pigmentation.
Coda Plastics Ltd is currently investigating a range of materials for caps with a view to rolling out products with a PCR component in 2024. There are a huge amount of different materials to investigate - each of which presents different challenges and has to be tested in multiple ways.
We are confident our talented investigation team will establish the best way to incorporate PCR plastic into our injection moulded caps and closures in a way that satisfies our high standards and our clients’ requirements.
If you would like your product developed and manufactured by a company with a responsible approach to plastics manufacturing and recycling, get in touch with our sales team today.
Our factory in East Anglia is equipped to handle orders of all sizes and our full service includes storage and delivery all over the UK and beyond. Call us today on +44 1692 501020 or email sales@coda-plastics.co.uk