ITALY – Sidel’s Actis barrier coating has been awarded the APR Design for Recyclability Recognition, meeting the stringent criteria of the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR).
This recognition highlights technology’s compatibility with today’s plastics recycling processes, a significant milestone for Sidel’s commitment to sustainability.
The APR, an international non-profit focused on improving plastic recycling, evaluates the recyclability of packaging materials through its APR Design® for Recyclability Recognition.
This engineering assessment ensures that packaging components are technically compatible with established recycling systems.
Sidel’s Actis coating underwent rigorous evaluation by an APR Review Committee and was assessed against industry-accepted criteria affecting plastics recycling.
Sidel’s Actis (Amorphous Carbon Treatment on Internal Surface) is an innovative plasma coating technology for PET bottles.
This coating enhances the bottle’s barrier properties, significantly extending the shelf life of carbonated soft drinks (CSDs), beer, and oxygen-sensitive beverages like juices and teas.
By depositing the coating inside the bottle, Actis provides superior protection while enabling significant lightweighting, reducing the amount of PET material required for production.
According to Alexandre Huet, Blowing and Coating Product Manager at Sidel, Actis technology can extend shelf life by up to three times for carbonated products and up to ten times for oxygen-sensitive beverages, depending on the product type and bottle specifications.
For example, a standard 500ml PET bottle for CSDs weighing 24g typically achieves a ten-week shelf life. With Actis, the same bottle can achieve a 24-week shelf life while saving five grams of PET, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by over 20%.
Sustainability in packaging design
Sidel prioritizes sustainability in its packaging innovations. Naima Boutroy, the company’s Global Packaging Expert, emphasized the company’s commitment to ensuring full circularity of its packaging materials without compromising the quality of post-consumer recycled material.
Actis-coated bottles are already recyclable and approved in European recycling streams for food-grade bottle-to-bottle recycling.
With more than 30 Actis systems in use globally, the technology has been applied to produce over five billion bottles across key beverage categories.
This milestone not only underscores Actis’ role in advancing packaging sustainability but also its effectiveness in reducing environmental impact by reducing PET usage and greenhouse gas emissions.
This recognition by APR solidifies Sidel’s position as a leader in innovative, sustainable packaging solutions.
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