PolyOne has announced that its Colormatrix business has licensed the right to manufacture, market and sell a high-performance light blocking technology for liquid dairy packaging from leading PET resin and concentrate manufacturer, Novapet.
Novapet’s DCU (Dairy Concentrate Ultra) additive protects liquid dairy products packaged in monolayer PET bottles from degrading due to light radiation.
Novapet PET Light Blocker now licensed to be sold
Novapet has already established DCU additive as a reliable light-blocking solution, and will retain commercial and manufacturing responsibility for the product in France, Italy, Portugal and Spain. PolyOne will manufacture, market and sell the product as ‘ColorMatrix Lactra SX Light Blocking Additive’ in all remaining markets.
“The DCU additive fits perfectly with our existing portfolio of specialty additives for protecting liquid dairy products,” explained Bjoern Klaas, General Manager, ColorMatrix at PolyOne.
Traditionally packaged in laminate paper cartons or multilayer HDPE bottles, Ultra High Temperature (UHT) milk products are popular in Europe and have been growing in popularity in Asia and Latin America.
As the market expands, dairy processors are looking for ways to differentiate their packaging to engage consumers. PolyOne says switching to DCU additive-modified PET gives processors this ability, in addition to reduced weight and other cost advantages, because it allows lighter weight, monolayer PET bottles to preserve liquid dairy products.
ColorMatrix Lactra SX is supplied as a solid masterbatch, and provides the ability to tailor the level of light protection by adjusting the dosage (percentage) to match the needs of each individual product.
As an alternative to multilayer preforms, this additive can easily be added to PET using a single-stage process that gives identical light blocking performance at a lower machinery cost. The simpler injection process can also lead to reduced production waste, while lightweighting lowers production costs per bottle.
David Gonzalez, Managing Director at Novapet, added, “With our tried and trusted technology and PolyOne’s global market penetration, this license agreement is the best solution to grow sales globally.”