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In addition, the ASTRA Center’s Advanced Compost Lab recently received recognition from Biodegradable Products Institute as a BPI-Approved Lab, allowing TC Transcontinental to serve as a third-party testing lab for those seeking BPI certification or screening for their products.
The 12,200 sq-ft ASTRA Center offers the latest technology and deep expertise in compostable, recyclable, and recycled content packaging, enabling increased speed to market from concept to commercialization, optimized solutions for performance and cost, and turnkey packaging solutions. These advances support TC Transcontinental Packaging’s commitment to sustainable packaging practices and producing 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable plastic packaging by 2025.
The ASTRA Center is comprised of four labs including: the Analytical and Testing Services Lab, Applications and Packaging Development Lab,Advanced Compost Lab, and Recycling Technology Lab.
“As industry leaders in sustainable flexible packaging, we are experts in recycled content, recyclable, and compostable packaging,” said Alex Hayden, TC Transcontinental Packaging Senior Vice President R&D, Sustainability, and Recycling Group. “The ASTRA Center is at the core of our efforts to drive growth and innovation and be the sustainability partner of choice for our customers. The many tests, instruments, and technologies available to us provide enhanced product development knowledge through the entire process of packaging design to the commercialization of innovative sustainable products.”
The ASTRA Center features:
• State-of-the-art blown film equipment
• Advanced package testing for the latest recyclability standards, screening new plastic waste sources, and evaluating recycled content
• Certification of compostable packaging to the latest industrial and home compost standards, as well as capability to quickly and cost effectively screen variables and advance our learnings around new compostable polymers and coatings
• Physical and analytical laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment to forensically and physically test packaging
• Latest form, fill, and seal equipment for rapid prototyping and testing of new sustainable packaging developments
