21 Amazing Plastic Packaging Facts

Plastic packaging benefits countless industries. It can help protect fragile goods, cut down on transportation costs and develop new innovations to form the next packaging idea that could change the way we look at the industry altogether. The Berlin Packaging UK marketing team has put together some fun, important and evolving facts together.

#1 The most popular forms of plastic used for manufacturing include; plastic bottles, jars, window frames and car parts.

#2 The most accepted types of plastic used in the manufacturing & distribution processes include; High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET, PETE), Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene, Polystyrene. All these plastics can be recycled.

#3 The thinnest part of a drinks container is thinner than a human hair – measuring just 0.07mm.

#4 The expiration date on a plastic bottle of water is for the end date of the plastic, not the water.

#5 Plastic bubble wrap was originally invented to be used as textured wallpaper for commercial and domestic use.

#6 Plastic packaging is mostly used to protect and keep food items fresh for consumers. Product protection actually reduces CO2 emissions by reducing product wastage.

#7 Nearly 60% of PET plastic bottles in the UK household waste stream are now being collected for recycling – in 2001 this figure was just 3%.

#8 One recycled plastic bottle would save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for 3 hours.

#9 275,000 tonnes of plastic are used each year in the UK, that’s about 15 million bottles per day.

#10 Most families throw away about 40kg of plastic per year, which could otherwise be recycled.

#11 The use of plastic in Western Europe is growing about 4% each year.

#12 Plastic can take up to 500 years to decompose that’s why it’s important to make plastic products using recycled ingredients.

#13 A recent study from wrap.ork.uk estimates the UK flow for 2013 is 2,260k tonnes of plastic being produced which is a reduction of 332k tonnes from estimated current flow figures. If revised and the flow figure is adopted, UK recycling performance would be a higher percentage than previously reported. However, significant increases in recycling are still required to meet current business targets.

Plastic Packaging Handled and Flow Trends 2013- 2016

#14 Plastic packaging is used in these industries:

• Food & Beverage
• Healthcare
• Cosmetic & Personal Care
• Consumer Packaged Goods
• Home & Garden

#15 Plastic packaging can help.

#16 Plastic packaging breakthroughs.

#17 An insight into plant bottles.

#18 Plastic packaging from the UK.

#19 Plastic packaging manufacturers are looking to develop environmentally-responsive products. Research shows that a number of bio-plastics including sugar cane and grass-based polymers could help with the degradability problem.

#20 Berlin Packaging UK has put together the first-ever recyclable bottle pumps that can be put back into the recycling chain. This new innovation stops the need to separate the pump from the bottle. This allows for a recyclable friendly product which can help reduce the carbon footprint.

#21 Biopolymer bottles are now in high demand from many companies looking for an alternative. In fact, they have become so popular that Berlin now stocks them as part of their existing range. This is a good example of bioplastic product solutions.