The living hinge is a common design for many items that has caused issues with creating cost-effective, ecofriendly containers within a single injection molded package. Used by healthcare, medical device, food service ware, and other such industries, the living hinge needs to be very thin, flexible, and able to withstand repeated usage. This has led to the standardized usage of polypropylene in such containers.
This year at PACK EXPO, Green Dot Bioplastics—a manufacturer of resins and bioplastics in the flexible packaging, thermoforming, and single-use disposable packaging industries—showcased its expanded line of Terratek® BD compostable resins. Tested to withstand 100 uses, the containers produce the same malleability and durability as their plastic counterparts. New injection molding grades allow for higher heat performance and enhanced processibility, or lower cycle times.
The cannabis industry in particular has shown increased interest in the Terratek BD resin containers due to the biofriendly materials and child-resistant functionality enabled by the increased rigidity of the resin. The resins are ASTM D6400-certified and EN 13432 industrial-certified and food contact approved.
“What we try to do at Green Dot is lighten the impact of the materials being used in everyday packages we purchase, from nutritional bars to stick packs to salty snacks that lessens the impact on the environment with a fully renewable resource that’s fully home and/or industrial compostable,” said Dave Szink, vice president of sales and marketing at Green Dot Bioplastics.
The injection molding grades are currently undergoing certification by TUV Austria.
