Eastman Chemical: A wide range of innovative products for the Packaging industry

Eastman Chemical's range of products to support the packaging industry has grown in terms of new products and gained further market acceptance through a number of highly successful applications.

New products currently being introduced include Eastar Bio Ultra copolyester, a new entry in the line of Eastar Bio biodegradable resins, and Embrace copolyester, a shrink film resin that provides maximum design freedom and maximum shelf appeal for the packaging designer.

According to David Speicher, Regional Business Manager, Specialty Plastics Europe, Middle East and Africa, Eastman's developments are revolutionizing the industry: "From jars, clamshells, labels and flexible packaging to luxury cosmetic containers and the high performance needs of electronic and medical packaging, we are helping producers to meet new requirements for environmentally sound applications and consumer market demands such as increased durability. We are also helping the brand owners to develop new packaging designs thanks to the superior design freedom provided by copolyesters."

Cosmetics

Sophistication in design has been the key to successful cosmetic and personal care packaging, with designs becoming increasingly challenging. Eastman provides a wide range of products that meet performance requirements, and are also flexible in meeting appearance demands like clarity and decorability. Key properties include high gloss, pleasant touch and sound, superb color including sheer tints, clarity and chemical resistance.

As this market is constantly changing the life span of a container's effectiveness in attracting the consumer's eye is short, Eastman will continually develop materials tailored to meet the needs of cosmetic manufacturers.

Eastman is launching the new Eastar AN 001 copolyester grade, dedicated to the technology of injection blow moulding technology. This material is targeted to produce injection blow moulded thick walled cosmetic containers and injection stretch blow moulded thick cream jars. The high gloss and clarity, associated to a very neutral colour, makes it possible to produce glass-like parts with thicknesses impossible to realize with PET. A first application is already commercialized for Victoria's Secret by Inoac in the USA.

Food packaging

Eastman provides packaging films that maintain flavor, texture and freshness of food while providing graphics to appeal to the customer.

The high gloss, clarity, and sparkle of film produced from Eastar copolyester provides superior optics and increased shelf life appeal. In addition, Eastar copolyester can be metallized and printed without any type of pre-treatment using most conventional printing methods. It has strong oxygen and aroma barrier properties so Eastar copolyester does not scalp flavor or impart taste or odor to food products.

Healthcare and medical packaging

Medical packaging requiring unique sterilizing, ESD protection, and "ultra clean" requirements find Eastman materials meet their most stringent needs as they protect medical equipment, solutions and pharmaceuticals against breakage and contamination.

Thanks to the high purity of the resin, which contains no plasticizer or additive that could migrate, Eastar copolyester makes a safe and ideal candidate for the production of clear and rigid medical packaging. Physical properties include extremely good compatibility with the gamma sterilization process and puncture resistance. Eastman also offers a full spectrum of plastics to match biological/regulatory, sterilization, and disposal requirements for the medical device industry.

Labeling

Eastman polymers are continuing to make a big impact on the labeling industry, as brand identity is increasingly communicated through challenging contour bottles and containers and high-graphic labels. Embrace is the name of a new copolyester resin that is launched in Europe as of may 2002 and provides superior design freedom to the label industry thanks to its high clarity gloss and a shrinkage superior to 70%!

Eastar Bio

Eastman also prod

Reader enquiries

Eastman Chemical Company
Fascinatio Boulevard 602-614
2909 VA Capelle a/d IJssel

Netherlands

+31 10 240 23 17

odette@​eastman.com