thermoforming: the eco-friendly side of the process

1. Thermoforming: The Eco-Friendly Side of the Process By: Jim Boley VP of Business Development

2. Thermoforming Manufacturing In today’s environmentally conscious world, the thermoforming manufacturing process provides a popular and effective solution for product packaging. Businesses around the globe continually look for new ways to preserve natural resources and minimize environmental impacts. Many retailers choose thermoform packaging, an effective commercial and ecological choice for their retail products. Recycling is abundant throughout the process – the raw plastic can contain recycled material; scrap from the manufacturing is recycled; and many end products are recyclable or biodegradable. Thermoforming refers to the manufacturing process of heating and molding plastic materials into packaging solutions. Sample end products include containers, lids, trays, clamshells and blister packaging. These packages are used in such a wide range of industries as medical, food, electronics and consumer products. Thermoformed plastics have replaced many parts previously manufactured from wood, paper, glass and metal.

3. How Can Plastic Packaging Be Eco-Friendly? Today’s thermoforming manufacturing process offers the following Eco-Friendly improvements: Reduced Energy Consumption. The total energy used in manufacturing plastic packaging is considerably less than the energy used to produce non-plastic alternatives -- even when the inherent energy value of plastics' raw materials is factored in. This means that without plastics, the equivalent of an additional 58 million barrels of oil or 325 billion cubic feet of natural gas would have been required to meet America's packaging needs in 1990. That's enough to meet the energy needs of 100,000 homes for 35 years.

4. How Can Plastic Packaging Be Eco-Friendly? Recycled Scrap. After the production process, excess plastic is trimmed and recycled instead of headed to a landfill. The reclaimed material is converted back to a flat sheet and used again in the production process. Reduced Packaging. With thermoforming techniques, retailers can choose from many different package sizes. This customization allows retailers to use only as much packaging as they need for their product thus reducing raw material consumption. Preserved Natural Resources. The use of plastics in thermoforming replaces such natural resources as wood and paper. Eliminating forest products from packaging production helps reduce deforestation.

5. Going Green The “Going Green” philosophy permeates all functional areas of an organization. For example, research and development departments consider environmental impacts when designing new products and processes. In thermoforming, engineers continually seek recycled and biodegradable raw plastic materials for each application. They also look for ways to minimize the total plastic content in end products. Continuous improvements and advancements in materials and recovery technologies means packaging will become even more eco-friendly in the years in the future, resulting in more resource-efficient products and less waste. As a resource-efficient manufacturing process, thermoforming will continue to do its part to protect the environment.

6. About the Author Jim Boley is VP of Business Development at Flexpak Corporation, a world-class supplier of custom thermoforming and packaging solutions since 1974. For more information about thermoforming, please visit http://www.flexpakcorp.com/packaging-solutions.php today.