Exceptionally popular as a packaging material across the beverage, food and liquids sectors, PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) is easily recyclable, lightweight, transparent and strong, making it the first choice for the majority of leading manufacturers. PET offers high stress crack resistance, excellent thermal stability and impressive processability.

Developed in 1941 and increasingly popular as a packaging material since the early 1970s, PET is a linear thermoplastic that is created through repeated ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid chains. Small pellets of PET are melted at temperatures of between 250 – 300ºC to create a liquid which is then injected into moulds to produce preforms, with the required features formed as it cools. Further heating to 80ºC makes the preform flexible, with the desired bottle shape made through inflation with a high-pressure aim stream.