Frequently Asked Questions
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In this section, you can find an explanation for specific terms and abbreviations used. We will be adding more information over time but do not hesitate to contact us if you can't find what you are looking for.
Polypropylene fiber is traditionally stabilized with a blend of a phenolic antioxidant, phosphite and a hindered amine light stabilizer (HALS). This formulation generally provides adequate processing, heat and light stabilization performance, but does not provide adequate gas fade resistance which is needed to maintain color properties during storage and end-use application.
Gas fading is known in the industry as a discoloration resulting from the exposure of plastic articles to an atmosphere containing oxides of nitrogen.
AGF stabilizers are special stabilizer system which prevent gas fading and discoloration formation associated with the use of phenolic antioxidants.
Additive used in polypropylene random copolymers to improve clarity
Clarifiers are a subfamily of nucleators that provide smaller crystallites that scatter less light and, as a result, enhance the clarity for the same wall thickness of a part.
The ISCC - International Sustainability and Carbon Certification - Plus certification is based on the mass balance principle.
It tracks the amount of renewable materials used throughout the manufacturing process of the polymer and allows customers to meet their sustainability objectives by establishing a measurable and transparent level of recycled material in their products.
It is a voluntary certification for unregulated markets which applies in particular to circular and bio-sourced products.
Nucleating agents are
compositions, compounds, etc., that induce the formation of polymer crystals
(i.e., regulate and control crystallinity).
The overall migration limit (OML) is the maximum permitted total amount of non-volatile substances that can migrate from a food packaging material or food container into food. The overall migration is determined by exposing the item to a chemical food simulant (E.g. olive oil) for a specified and appropriate length of time, after which the extracted residue is dried and weighed.
Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 on Plastic Materials and Articles has set out OMLs for plastic food contact materials (FCM) and articles. For general plastic FCMs, the OML is 10 mg/dm2 .
Material generated by households or by commercial, industrial and institutional facilities in their role as end-users of the product which can no longer be used for its intended purpose. This includes returns of material from the distribution chain
Also used plastic packaging from the industry is Post-Consumer Waste. The term Consumer should be interpreted as the user of the packaging which doesn't refer to a consumer
Material diverted from the waste stream during a manufacturing process. Excluded is reutilization of materials such as rework, regrind or scrap generated in a process and capable of being reclaimed within the same process that generated it.
In other words, production waste that could be used is not Post-Industrial Recycle
The Declaration of Compliance is a self-issued document stating certain information about a food contact material or food contact products. This information is generally included:
- Importer/Manufacturer
- Product name
- List of materials/components
- Statement declaring that the product is compliant with certain regulations
- Information about the substances
- Types of food the material is made for contact with
- Time and temperature
- Information about the test methods
The purpose of the DoC is to demonstrate that the product is fully compliant with certain regulations and specify the testing methods applied to prove this.
Product Regulatory Overviews are documents issued by Chevron Phillips Chemicals for their products that contain the relevant regulatory information like food contact, heavy metals.
https://www.cpchem.com/resources/product-regulatory-overviews-pro
REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. It entered into force on 1 June 2007.
REACH is a regulation of the European Union, adopted to improve the protection of human health and the environment from the risks that can be posed by chemicals, while enhancing the competitiveness of the EU chemicals industry.
REACH places the burden of proof on companies. To comply with the regulation, companies must identify and manage the risks linked to the substances they manufacture and market in the EU. They have to demonstrate to ECHA how the substance can be safely used, and they must communicate the risk management measures to the users.
https://echa.europa.eu/regulations/reach/understanding-reach
The specific migration limit (SML) is the maximum permitted quantity of a specific substance that can migrate from a food packaging material or food container into food. It is a safety limit derived from toxicological studies. Reliable analytical methods are needed to identify the presence of these substances in food (or food simulants).
For polymers this mostly refers to the comonomers (E.g., hexene)
The annex I of Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 on Plastic Materials and Articles has set out SMLs. If no SML is set, default limit 60 mg/kg food can be used for individual substances.