Sheet extruder Pacur LLC is using renewable materials made by Eastman Chemical Co. in sterile barrier packaging.
In a news release, officials with Pacur in Oshkosh, Wis., said that the use of the Eastman material "is an important step to contribute to a more circular future and divert landfill-bound plastic waste." Kingsport, Tenn.-based Eastman is providing a grade of its Eastar Renew-brand material for the rigid thermoformed application.
"A key element of our innovation agenda is a commitment to investing in the developing of next-generation sustainability solutions," Jason Eckel, Pacur sales and marketing senior vice president, said.
Eastar Renew is made via Eastman's chemical recycling technologies. Officials said the material "is indistinguishable" from standard Eastar copolyester, with the same durability, safety and performance.
Sourcing Eastar Renew allows Pacur to certify that plastic waste is being diverted from landfills to produce new packaging, officials said. The amount of plastic waste diverted is tracked through an ISCC-certified mass balance accounting approach that allocates recycled content to Eastman Renew materials.
Eastman will open the world's largest material-to-material molecular recycling facility in Kingsport later this year. Officials said that chemical recycling empowers the health care industry to continue to put patient safety first while contributing to elimination of plastic waste. The process also drives collection and recycling of hard-to-recycle materials for use in a circular economy.
Pacur makes extruded PETG sheet used primarily used in packaging for medical devices. Its sheet products also are used in specialty graphics, pharmaceutical packaging and food packaging.
Eastman employs 14,000 worldwide and posted sales of $10.6 billion in 2022. The firm's products include Tritan-brand copolyester.