Packaging

Greiner Packaging International “BPA-free”

Wednesday 02. October 2013 - Innovation leader for food packaging stops using raw material containing BPA.

Greiner Packaging International, stops using the controversial chemical compound Bisphenol A (BPA) in the production of food packaging. By the end of March 2014, all production lines will be changed over to “BPA-free” raw materials, as the company takes advantage of several years of experience in processing BPA-free alternatives.
“For us, innovation means making life a bit better and easier through creating smart  packaging solutions,.  In doing so, protecting the health of consumers is our top priority. Therefore, we will be the first leading company in our industry changing completely over to BPA-free materials in food packaging,” says Willi Eibner, CEO of Greiner Packaging International. The changeover mainly affects 5-gallon water bottles that were still being produced from polycarbonate.
Several years of experience with BPA-free raw materials
In 2009 – two years prior to the EU ban on the use of polycarbonate (PC) for baby bottles in 2011 – Greiner Packaging International had already stopped using BPA for the production of these sensitive products. For more than two years, Kavodrink bottles have been produced exclusively from BPA-free raw material as well. Alternative raw materials are continually being tested, in order to offer our customers the best options available. Eibner points out, “In the last few years, we have been able to gain a lot of know-how in the sector of processing BPA-free raw materials. Now, our customers benefit from this investment.
First choice: TritanT copolyester from Eastman
Currently, TritanT copolyester from Eastman is Greiner Packaging International’s preferred BPA-free raw material for water bottles. It was approved by the U.S. FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) and the EFSA (European Food and Safety Association). TritanT copolyester is crystal-clear, heat-resistant, dishwasher-proof, and extremely robust. In addition, it allows for a high degree of design flexibility. In the production of 5-gallon water bottles, Greiner Packaging International can use it in injection stretch blow molding and extrusion blow molding.
BPA is increasingly being criticized: politicians react with bans
Public discussion on the chemical substance BPA has led to an increasing number of governmental authorities passing laws and regulations to ban it. Recently, France has caused a stir throughout the EU by banning BPA as of 2015 for use in all food packaging, and the country lobbies for extending the ban throughout the EU. Sweden is also preparing a ban on BPA