Steba is engaged in the marketing of virgin plastic containers and recycled packaging for cosmetics.
The products we supply are suitable not only for cosmetics, but are certified for use in medical, pharmaceutical and herbal medicine. In addition, all our products are suitable for contact with food because they meet the requirements of European legislation.
Discover all the products, visit our Catalog!
The types of plastic containers
At Steba, we pay special attention to our customers’ needs and new product technologies. Therefore, we offer 2 main types of plastic containers, which enable us to always offer the best solution according to the customer’s desire:
- virgin, i.e., pure, plastic at the first production cycle
- recycled plastic, made from other plastic products already in use
Specifically, among the virgin plastics proposed, we have:
- PET virgin plastic
- virgin plastic HDPE
Regarding recycled plastic, we offer these different gradations depending on the material:
Of course, recycled plastic (PCR) has different characteristics than virgin plastic. Differences that are attributable, however, only to the aesthetic side and not to the performance side.
In particular, recycled plastic may have a different coloring than virgin plastic, but the properties remain the same: extreme strength, high strength, excellent insulation, light weight, durability and water resistance.
It should be pointed out that the differences between virgin and recycled plastic vary depending on the percentage of recycled plastic in the product.
100% green PET plastic packaging
One of the alternatives proposed by Steba is 100% green PET plastic packaging, so the material used is 100% recycled.
Products made totally from recycled plastics tend to have a darker coloration than virgin plastics. In addition, 100% recycled plastics have imperfections at the surface level that are, however, barely noticeable to the touch.
Actually in a recycled plastic product, the aesthetic characteristics are not perfectly governable and predictable, especially in transparent plastic. All recycled transparent plastic containers will have not exactly the same color, one will be different from the other. In fact, the color and imperfections on the surface depend on the materials used during recycling, which can be green, blue, transparent, etc.
The result? Products that are all different in transparency and color, and this is what we call the“new green aesthetic.”
All-recycled plastic can be colored with dark shades, so the color alteration will be less noticeable.
Learn more about the aforementioned recycled “new aesthetic,” read our article “Recycled Plastic Packaging and Scenario”
Packaging made of 50% recycled plastic PET and HDPE
Steba’s recycled plastic offering does not end there. In fact, it is also possible to choose 50% recycled PET or HDPE products.
Fifty percent is a “halfway” solution. On the one hand it confirms the commitment to a green economy and on the other it is a proposal that reconciles ecodesign with the needs of a demand side that is still approaching sustainable packaging.
Recycled plastic in containers 35% PET and HDPE
Containers made of 35% recycled plastic PET or HDPE are the more moderate alternative. In these products, the presence of recycled plastic is reduced, consequently the aesthetic result is more similar to a virgin product.
The color of plastic is “more governable” because it exhibits a very slight alteration. In fact, the change in coloration and transparency of plastic is reduced as the percentage of recycled plastic used decreases.
We recommend an interesting reference site: https://www.plasticpackagingfacts.org/plastic-sustainability/recycling/ with important insights into ecological trends in the world of plastics.
Better recycled plastic or virgin plastic containers?
This is the question many people are asking: recycled or virgin plastic?
There is no absolute answer; it all depends on the customer and his or her particular needs. Steba accompanies the consumer in choosing the most suitable plastic container, offering both virgin and recycled plastic solutions.
In addition, we at Steba would like to emphasize our interest in wanting to inform the end user about the correct behavior in plastic disposal.
In addition to biopackaging proposals, attention to separate waste collection and environmental awareness are characteristics that should appeal to everyone: end users and all players involved in the plastic production and commercial process.
For this reason, we have written an in-depth article that we invite you to read, “Disposal and Reuse of Plastic in Containers.”
Contact us for accurate and timely advice or visit the section Plastic Bottles!
