Plastics container maker Graham Packaging Co. LP is commercializing a new approach in extrusion blow molding aimed at saving plastic.
The Lancaster, Pa.-based company's AccuStrength technology was first used in the fall of 2023 for a laundry customer and now is being rolled out on a wider scale.
"AccuStrength is a perfect marriage between heightened performance and lightweight sustainable packaging. This exclusive-to-Graham technology allows for the application of additional vertical layers of plastic that can be precisely adjusted to specific areas of a container," the company said.
"This strategic material placement improves load-bearing performance and is ideal for areas prone to buckling or deflection."
Graham Packaging said the new process is "set to re-imagine sustainability and design in the packaging industry, marking a significant leap forward in the lightweighting process."
AccuStrength, the company said, concentrates container design for areas where plastic is most needed for structural integrity while reducing the need for resin elsewhere. The approach can reduce overall weight by up to 15 percent.
Graham Packaging, on the company's website, described the process as adding "vertical ribs of material into the areas of the bottle where you want to prevent buckling or deflection."
"This technology not only enhances the structural integrity of containers but also addresses the urgent need for sustainable packaging solutions. We believe AccuStrength will set a new standard for lightweighting and positively impact the entire supply chain," said Steve Estok, president of the home care and industrial business unit at Graham Packaging, in a statement.
AccuStrength is "ideal" for larger oval or rectangular containers, the company said.
Cutting container weights by up to 15 percent means a savings in transportation fuel, which results in a lower carbon footprint, Graham Packaging said.
Graham is the second-largest blow molder in North America, according to Plastics News data with about $2.6 billion in sales in the region annually.
Graham Packaging makes $16 billion each year at 65 manufacturing plants in North America, Europe and South America.