Clariant addresses needs for safe, sustainable and stylish solutions for plastics and packaging industry

Shanghai, November 26, 2014 – Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals today holds a media roundtable for plastic and packaging industry in Shanghai, China. Media are invited to join the discussion with Clariant experts on the future of plastic and packaging industry. Clariant’s products and solutions are showcased with focus on safety, sustainability and stylishness.

While only one piece of the puzzle, product packaging can play a large role in some of the world’s biggest challenges. For example, nearly 1/3 of the world’s food is thrown away each year, primarily due to spoilage during distribution or storage, while at the same time, arable land for food production is projected to decrease by 22% per capita by 2030.

Clariant is helping to solve grand challenges such as this with its solutions for plastic packaging that not only offer increasingly effective and safe protection of the goods they carry — whether it be food, medical supplies, or beauty products — but also offer a more efficient production process to reduce material consumption and energy usage. A joint presentation by Clariant’s Masterbatches Business and Pigments Business during the media roundtable addresses how Clariant is tackling these challenges with safe, sustainable and stylish packaging solutions.

Compliance with regulations related to food and beverage packaging

Clariant offers a comprehensive range of colorants focusing on the health and safety of food and beverage packaging products. Been approved by FDA, European Resolution AP(89)1, GB9685 and other applicable food contact regulations, these colorants can be applied to produce PET bottles and PP/HDPE caps for beverage industry with high heat stability and low effect on shrinkage and warpage.

Functional packaging contributes to sustainability

Clariant recently launched HiFormer®, a new global brand that encompasses its high-performance liquid color and additive concentrates, dosing and handling systems, expertise and service. HiFormer liquid masterbatches system offers a significant reduction in color change time, and a trouble-free and continuous manufacturing process with relatively low dosage compared to other systems. It limits the influence on product properties, achieving an excellent appearance.

Clariant's CESA® offers an extensive range of masterbatches, which is able to address the specific needs of packagers, whether it is to increase the antimicrobial qualities of a package or to protect against the degrading effects of UV rays.

CESA-Absorb is a novel masterbatch that optimally protects oxygen-sensitive products, one of the main factors in food or beverage perishing, while still maintaining package transparency and recyclability.

Also among the extensive CESA family, CESA-Hydrocerol additive provides thermal and acoustic insulation for package contents, while at the same time saving materials by up to 15-20% and speeding up the cycling time by up to 40% by improved productivity. This makes Hydrocerol very attractive to companies committed to reducing the environmental impact of their products.

Stylish colors inspire the plastic industry

Clariant's unique coloration design service ColorWorks® provides inspiration for plastics design based on carefully forecasted color trends.

ColorWorks packaging specializes in high impact color design solutions for the consumer packaging market. Brand managers and designers looking to accelerate color development and stay at the forefront of color technology and trends will find the perfect partner with the ColorWorks consumer packaging group. This team has pioneered and perfected many of today’s innovative color systems, showcased in award-winning designs and numerous leading consumer packaging trade magazines.

As a leading specialty chemical company, Clariant is always ready to help its partners in the packaging industry find unique solutions to meet a wide variety of needs, ranging from food storage and personal care packaging to healthcare packaging and just about everything in between.