New Resins Offer Performanceand Environmental Benefits
Eastman Chemical Co., considered the largest producer of PET for packaging, has introduced a new generation of PET resins called ParaStar. These resins have been engineered to provide bottle clarity, product purity, production and supply chain efficiencies, and environmental benefits. They are produced using IntegRex technology, Eastman's patent-protected manufacturing process for PET. Because the solid-stating step has been eliminated, the process reduces energy usage compared to ordinary PET resin production processes. ParaStar resins promise to create PET bottles with improved bottle-to-bottle consistency and acetaldehyde levels lowered by 25 percent or more. Less acetaldehyde in the resin makes this new resin particularly attractive for bottled water use. Because ParaStar is a drop-in replacement for standard PET on bottle manufacturing equipment, companies using the resins will need no equipment or process changes, eliminating the downtime and costly learning curves often associated with new resins. ParaStar, which is 100 percent recyclable and can be recycled with traditional PET resins, will be available early next year.