Graham Packaging wins Diamond Award at the 2016 DuPont Packaging Awards

Graham Packaging, Lancaster, Pa., won top honors in the 2016 DuPont Packaging Awards for its 100 percent recyclable PET jar featuring a traditional vacuum-sealed metal cap. The company took home the Diamond Award; an award that recognizes ground-breaking excellence in packaging innovation. Fairport, N.Y.-based LiDestri Food & Beverage said it is the first manufacturer to use this sustainable and lightweight package — for its client Wegmans Food Markets.

“LiDestri is proud to be the first food manufacturer to get a product to market in this revolutionary jar,” said Stefani LiDestri, co-president, LiDestri Food & Beverage. “Wegmans is one of our strongest partners because they live and breathe innovation and sustainability just the way we do — it was a natural fit for both companies.”

LiDestri said it is in the process of transferring its own pasta sauce brand, Francesco Rinaldi, into the same package, thanks to the superior features it offers manufacturers, retailers and consumers.

“We’re excited to have commercialized this new technology with LiDestri,” said Michael Reed, business director, Graham Packaging. “In order to make PET work at these high temperatures, we had to create another way of understanding the resin morphology. It was a challenging road, but the discoveries we made enable ThermaSet to handle hot fill, pasteurization and even retort. Winning the top DuPont Packaging award in a very competitive field validates the significance of this innovation to the industry.”

The ThermaSet PET jar is 100 percent recyclable and almost 90 percent lighter than glass. It is able to meet the extended shelf life requirements of products, thanks to a nano-thin layer of silicon oxide (pure glass) bonded to the polymer. The resulting jar has the same clarity as glass, but is shatterproof. Because the package and resulting product is lighter, trucks can transport nearly 39 percent more trays of jars before reaching their maximum weight, which takes trucks off the road, saving money and lowering the environmental impact of shipping, LiDestri said.

“The ThermaSet PET jar offers tremendous benefits throughout the supply chain,” said John LiDestri, co-president, LiDestri Food & Beverage. “In the end, it offers consumers a much lighter shatterproof package, but offers consumers the same satisfying safety button pop they are used to in metal caps. Up to this point that’s never been done.”

For manufacturers, switching to ThermaSet PET is an easy transition, the company said.

“For all its revolutionary benefits, one of the most appealing aspects for manufacturers is that it’s a drop-in solution,” Stefani LiDestri said. “ThermaSet PET works on existing filling lines, so there’s minimal investment required to start reaping the benefits of a lighter weight package.”