Injection stretch blow molded (ISBM) bottles are new benchmark in household product packaging
A cooperative effort among Procter & Gamble, packaging consultant PTI Europe, and LyondellBasell has resulted in a new family bottles that outperform those made from traditional materials. The new packaging demonstrates levels of rigidity, transparency, impact strength, and production efficiency that are superior to those associated with standard polypropylene and other traditional plastics.
P&G’s new Ariel Professional brand of laundry bleach is packaged in bottles made from innovative Stretchene PP resins from LyondellBasell. The new material provides an excellent cost/performance balance as an alternative to PET or HDPE for ISBM applications. With a density that is 34% lower than that of PET, Stretchene resins result in colorful, transparent, lightweight bottles with excellent chemical resistance and a good water-vapor barrier. The bottles are 15 to 20% lighter than competitive extrusion-blow-molded HDPE packaging for laundry bleach.
Stretchene PP resins are a good match for the ISBM process, which requires less downtime for mold changes than extrusion blow molding. This innovative PP stands up to the heat tunnel employed in full-body shrink-sleeve labeling, which gives the P&G package an edge in the key consumer considerations of visual attraction and an appealing grip.
Procter & Gamble offers its new Ariel Professional brand laundry bleach in 0.5-, 1.0-, and 2.0-litre bottles produced by injection stretch blow molding, using innovative Stretchene PP resins from LyondellBasell.