The third part of the interview with Steba’s management: an interesting discussion on such a topical issue as “plastic free containers.”
We offer you a short reading of the general presentation of the interview, go toSteba Interview
And if we have intrigued you, don’t miss the first two parts of the meeting with topics of great curiosity and interest:
Steba’s plastic-free containers
What can you tell us about the current plastic-free approach. A trend that Steba is also paying attention to?
I take advantage of the question to draw attention to this very current topic.
We “plastic professionals” are the biggest polluters. But the problem is not only in the production, I believe it is mainly in the lack of awareness on the part of the consumer who is not attentive to the proper use of separate waste collection. Unfortunately, the consumer’s lack of attention in throwing the “waste” in the appropriate bin also reduces the possibility for us, the plastic producers, to have reusable products.
I think it can be a good initiative to raise awareness among children, even in schools, because good practice starts from knowing how to throw away (and then recycle) plastic waste.
In conclusion, there is still little awareness of reuse. From the disposal of the small consumer to the companies that do not yet have a suitable facility to be able to re-process plastics.
But not only that, there is little “desire” to use recycled plastic containers.
In other words, the customer is not “ready” to choose a recycled because they are faced with a product that is functional but not as aesthetically pleasing as the virgin one.
Steba and green products
Among the various Steba products, do you also offer bio-packaging?
In addition to recycled PET and PE (polyethylene), we also have “Sugar Cane”: a bottle created by processing cane sugar. During the production of the polyethylene bottle, the ethanol (used for production) is that of cane sugar and not petroleum. The end result of PE and PE Sugar Cane is the same, only the latter is completely “green.”
Is there a growing conscious demand for recycled items from Steba customers?
We have so many requests, but the customer still needs to be properly directed to know the materials and their differences well.
For greater clarity, I try to explain the PET material. PET is a synthetic material (plastic) that is 100% recyclable. Its best quality is that it does not lose key properties during the recovery process. PET can thus be processed repeatedly to make other valuable products.
100% virgin PET is completely transparent, and when compared to glass, they cannot be distinguished from a distance.
PET at 50 percent recycled material, however, takes on a slightly darker color. In fact, the color tends to be more on the grayish or greenish side depending on how many plastic bottles of natural and mineral water were included within the recycling production.
Green products: the difficulties
It is not possible to have a “panoply” of colors because the final product depends on the materials used during the production cycle. In other words, the final aesthetic, that is, the color, depends on the recycled granular supplied by the manufacturer. And one cannot know how much green or blue colored plastic (for example) is present except during production itself.
In addition, dyes or additives also affect color variation. This is why plastics in dark coloring are easier because they do not show such noticeable variations. The problem is created with plastics with lighter colorations.
I have been confronted with customers who wanted to purchase recycled PE bottles. The customers then stopped the purchase because the final item did not have the expected aesthetics. Specifically, in recycled PE, “imperfections,” dots could be seen on the material.
People want to talk about green but do not like all aspects of green.
Aspects such as transparency or the presence of anomalies such as PE “dots” on the texture of the product. But the “dots” are an added value because they are thegreen aesthetic.
Go to the fourth and final part of the interview!
Steba Projects: 4/4 Interview
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