Packaging
Packaging - Vinyl Council Australia
| Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) can be shaped by heat. Extrusion, injection and blow moulding and calendering (see Using PVC in products) and are just some of the fabrication methods used to make packages such as film for food wrap, blister packs for tablets, clear bottles for cordial and vegetable oils, punnets for fruit and vegetables and clam shell casing to protect electronic goods in transit. Versatile, cost effective, coloured or transparent, PVC protects many products as they make their way from the manufacturer to the consumer. Consumers are aware that many plastics, including PVC can be recycled, and participation in recycling schemes in Australia is high. Under the PVC industry’s Product Stewardship Program, signatory packaging companies are Signatories to the National Packaging Covenant Mark II which encourages responsible and safe production, recycling and disposal of PVC packaging. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| View more about recycling at PVC and the environment>End of Life | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PVC food contact film | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Plasticised PVC film contributes to food safety, both protecting and preserving food. PVC film is successfully used as vacuum packaging for many fresh products including meat and pre-cooked meals. At home, in supermarkets and in catering establishments, food wrap is widely-used means of food storage and protection. Some of the many advantages of plasticised PVC cling films include: • controlled oxygen and water vapour transmission • cost effectiveness (suitable for use on high-speed packing machines) • excellent stretch and recovery characteristics • enhanced food presentation • provision of a contact barrier • excellent cling and seal • puncture resistant • ability to be heat sealed Cling film is a softened, or plasticised, PVC. During manufacture chemicals (plasticisers) are added to the PVC resin to provide the flexibility in the final product. The most commonly used plasticiser is di-2-ethylhexyl adipate (DEHA), otherwise marketed as di-octyl adipate (DOA), which is often used in conjunction with polymeric plasticisers. Any food contact package is liable to result in some transfer of its constituents to the foodstuff under some circumstances. The migration of plasticiser from PVC film is at levels which are considered harmless by international health and legislative authorities. In the late 1980s, the Australian PVC film industry adopted a voluntary code whereby films are colour-coded to identify the appropriate film for any given food application: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| This voluntary code in effect tightens the Australian Standard for Plastics and Food Contact. AS 2070.2 -(1991) is the standard with which all Australian-made films comply. In terms of disposal, most plastics including PVC can be recycled, however, recycling cling wrap after it has been in contact with food is difficult. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Source AS 2070.2 -1991: www.saiglobal.com/shop | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In terms of disposal, all plastics including PVC can be recycled, however, recycling cling wrap after it has been in contact with food is difficult. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PVC Cling Film Information Sheet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Flexible PVC packaging | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Non-food applications for flexible PVC film include the many types of shrink sleeves available. Shrink sleeves bundle quantities of a product together for safe and efficient transporting. The bundles range from small packs of pharmaceuticals to large pallets of industrial components. Easy to apply, the packaging is formed at low temperatures. PVC is a material which can be printed, making product identification simple. Identification is also assisted because PVC film is often transparent. Shrink wrapping provides tamper-proof protection for goods in transit. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rigid PVC packaging | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rigid packaging includes containers such as cordial bottles and strawberry punnets. 'Blister packs' commonly used for packaging pharmaceuticals are also fabricated from rigid PVC. Rigid PVC packaging can be recycled. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Visit these web sites for more information on food packaging: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| www.pthalates.org | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| www.plasticsresource.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| www.plastics.org |
