Extrusion International 2-2021

32 Extrusion International 2/2021 EXTRUSION BLOWMOLDING Also from manufacturers of extrusion blow molding machines comes an important contribution for the protection of the environment through the use of recycled plastic materials. From waste to new resource Circular Economy and Sustainable Packaging Europe bans the use of single-use plastic products. International organizations have long talked about the risks associated with the excessive use of this material in terms of impact on the environ- ment: for oil consumed, for emis- sions of greenhouse gases (GHG). However, plastic plays a key role in the protection and preserva- tion of products, from production to consumption, in every field. Resistant, safe, hygienic, asep- tic, light, durable and recyclable, plastic maintains its important function in the entire supply chain, if we consider that in Eu- rope alone, more than 50% of goods in circulation use plastic to deliver to consumers intact, fresh, protected products. A virtuous mechanism Awareness of these important aspects, which has been affect- ing the sector for decades, has set in motion a virtuous mecha- nism that has led professionals to create low-energy-consumption machines and better packaging containers, compared to a long time ago. One fact above all: the weight and volume of the con- tainers has been significantly re- duced, even by 30% less. An as- pect that saves the consumption of tons and tons of plastic mate- rial. Without neglecting the im- portance of a virtuous recovery and recycling policy set in motion by many countries. Plastiblow, among the first in the sector to develop electric machines for low energy con- sumption extrusion blow mold- ing, has long been committed to the reduction of the use of virgin plastic, because it has developed multilayer co-extrusion technolo- gies capable of processing more recycled materials for the produc- tion of new containers. More and more customers are looking for solutions for smarter and more efficient packaging that save energy and reduce the consumption of raw materials. The fundamental combination for being virtuous is: the less ma- terial I use for the production of the containers, the less energy I consume. Reducing weight, cut- ting waste, using more recycled materials, absorbing less energy, are objectives that Plastiblow has made its own with a competence made available to its customers around the world. Plastiblow can advise customers on how to reduce weight while maintaining the physical and me- chanical properties of the con- tainers. It can modify or study the design of the containers accord- ing to the forming process in the mold. It can design the configu- ration of multiple extruders to reach up to 7 layers of material, as in the case of the food sector. It can finely control the process parameters that can be reached Use of recycledmaterials for the production of eco-sustainable containers