Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) starts from raw petrochemicals: ethylene and paraxylene. Derivatives of these two chemicals react together to produce PET resin. This was first developed in 1941 and originally used in synthetic fibres. It began to be used for packaging in the mid-1960s. In the early 1970s the technique for blowing bottles was developed commercially. This final product is a transparent, strong and lightweight bottle.
Throughout the years, the PET industry has developed alongside the environmental concerns and today it is fully recyclable. The first PET was recycled in 1977 and was turned into a bottle basecup, or the bottle-to-bottle process. Soon however this recovered PET material started to be used for making textile, carpets and non-woven.
PET bottles may contain soft drinks, juices, alchoholic drinks, water, edible oils, household cleaners and other food and non-food applications.
print
