PET Resin Fact Sheet

PET

PET is the common name for a unique plastic belonging to the polyester family
The raw materials for PET are derived from crude oil and natural gas
Plastics and chemicals crude oil usage accounts for less than 10% of the annual global usage

PET was originally synthesized by DuPont chemists during a search for polymers to make new textile fibers
The technology for making long strands of PET resin was first developed by Imperial Chemical Industries in 1941
In the 1950s, PET was developed as a thin film for use as video, photographic and X-ray film in addition to uses in packaging
In the 1970s, by stretching the film in three dimensions (like inflating a balloon), PET was used to produce the first bottle-type containers demonstrating PET as a lightweight, yet unbreakable alternative to the glass bottle
By the late 1990s, PET represented more than 50% of the world’s manufactured synthetic fiber

PET is easily processed by extrusion or injection molding
Virtually all carbonated soft drink and water bottles are made from PET
The PET bottle is a popular choice of food and beverage packagers because of its glass-like transparency, ability to retain carbonation and freshness, and lightweight, large-capacity, break-resistant characteristics
Its lightweight/large capacity ratio is also economically and environmentally favorable, as more product (less packaging) can be delivered with less fuel
Life Cycle Analyses carried out on PET containers have shown only sound environmental performances
PET is a widely recycled material – PET can be recovered and the material reused