Phoenix Technologies has received a letter of “no objection” at a level up to 100% from Canada’s Health Products and Food Branch, Health Canada, for the process used to produce the company’s LNO™ c brand of recycled, food-grade recycled PET resin. The Health Products and Food Branch is the Canadian counterpart to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.

The Food Packaging Materials and Incidental Additives Section of the Chemical Health Hazard Assessment Division was responding to Phoenix’s request for comments on the acceptability of the recycling process for treating “PET material that will be used in the manufacture of containers used for packaging all food types under conditions of use ‘boiling water sterilized’ through ‘frozen or refrigerated storage: ready-prepared foods intended to be reheated in a container at time of use.’”

In 2008, Phoenix received a similar letter of “no objection” from the FDA for U.S. food packaging usage.

The LNO c process relies on Phoenix’s patented “extremely small particle size” technology. According to the company, the tiny particle size enables much more efficient decontamination compared to other processes, resulting in faster output and significant energy savings. The “c” in the brand name refers to the “compacted” resin that is the end result.

LNO c technology is said to produce rPET with superior color and yield as compared to other methods. Further, it has lower acetaldehyde (AA) levels, which positively impact taste properties. Another benefit, says Phoenix, is its consistently higher intrinsic viscosity (IV) or molecular weight, which more closely matches the IV found in virgin resins, enabling higher package performance.

Although there have been successful commercializations of packages made from 100% rPET, most food-grade applications typically run between 25-50%, says Phoenix. The percentage of rPET vs. virgin resin will depend on individual product and processing parameters, coupled with supply and economic impact.

In addition to creating rPET resin for sale directly to blow/injection molding and thermoforming operations, the company is also making its technology available to others wishing to set up their own rPET operation via license, partnership, or turnkey system installation.

“Our philosophy is that rPET supply is better suited to multiple, smaller, processing operations across North America, versus one or two large-capacity plants. We believe in a local ‘consume, collect, convert’ approach. By locating rPET production in closer proximity to resin users, you improve supply times and reduce the carbon footprint,” explains Phoenix sales and marketing manager Lori Carson.

Phoenix’s LNO c resin has been commercialized for a variety of containers both in the U.S. and Canada. Applications include water, beverage, deli, drinking cups, and more.