PET is strong, lightweight and is still improving its recycling track record. Last month Petcore announced that European post-sorting PET collection reached 1.26m tonnes in 2008 (an increase of more than 11% on 2007) and that the overall collection rate rose by nearly 5%, from over 41% to 46% of all PET bottles on the market.

In its everyday form PET packaging provides an excellent barrier to gases and water vapour which keeps content fresh and untainted for many, many months. PET minimises the use of fossil fuels during manufacture, forming, transport and storage. There are many more products that can be packaged in PET. Perhaps we in industry are not communicating effectively with our value chain (internal) and our final customers (external).

Petcore has devoted a significant amount of time to updating our communications strategy. We want to be in tune with our world of today. After industry consultation Petcore has put together a factual document called PET Profile which extols the tangible and positive benefits of PET and the reasons for its success. Too often the media concentrate only on emotional and negative aspects of purchasing products that are protected and packaged in PET.

Petcore has devoted two of its PET Planet Columns to countering the illinformed media stories about PET that are presented as fact. PET does not leach cancer-forming chemicals and PET does not leach oestrogenic compounds. PET does not contain or form Bisphenol A (BPA) or phthalates. Incidentally, BPA and phthalates are some of the most widely studied and understood chemicals in the world. A simple examination of the rigorous EU risk assessments and studies by other internationally respected scientific bodies have consistently demonstrated the safety of BPA and food contact phthalates for their current uses.