Glossary
Rigid plastic packaging glossary
The terms used in rigid plastic packaging, from APET to vents, each in a sentence or two, with a link to the page that explains it in full.
49 terms
A
- AEO (Authorised Economic Operator)
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A customs status for traders that customs authorities trust, which can mean fewer checks and faster clearance at the border.
- Anti-fog
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A coating or additive that stops condensation forming droplets on a film or pack, so chilled produce stays visible.
See also: Lidding film
- APET
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Amorphous PET: clear, non-crystalline PET sheet, the standard material for thermoformed punnets, trays and blisters.
- Arils
-
The juicy seed sacs of a pomegranate, sold ready to eat in sealed trays or cups.
B
- Blister pack
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A formed plastic cavity sealed to a backing of foil (medicines) or printed card (retail goods).
Read more · See also: PVC, PVDC coating, Clamshell
- BRCGS Packaging Materials
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A global standard for safety, quality and hygiene in packaging manufacture, audited by a third party. AVI holds Grade A.
C
- Carton (export carton)
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The outer box empty packs are shipped in. Each pack has a fixed count per carton in AVI's packing data.
Read more · See also: Nesting, Cartons per pallet
- Cartons per pallet
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How many export cartons are stacked on one pallet. Loading cartons without pallets fits more into a container.
Read more · See also: Carton (export carton), FCL (full container load)
- Clamshell
-
A one-piece pack whose lid is joined to the base by a hinge, so it closes on itself and can be reopened.
Read more · See also: Punnet, Hinged-lid container, Tamper-evident
D
- De-nesting
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Separating stacked empty packs one at a time on a packing line. Small lugs or stacking features stop packs sticking together.
See also: Nesting, Denestable
- Denestable
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Designed to separate easily from the stack, for automatic packing lines.
See also: De-nesting
- Draw depth
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How deep a thermoformed cavity is compared with its opening. Deeper draws stretch and thin the sheet more, so they start from a thicker gauge.
Read more · See also: Thermoforming, Micron
E
- EN 15343
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The European standard for traceability and recycled content of recycled plastics. Certification proves a recycled-content percentage with an audit trail.
Read more · See also: PCR (post-consumer recycled), rPET
- EPR (extended producer responsibility)
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Rules that make producers pay for, or organise, the collection and recycling of the packaging they put on the market.
Read more · See also: PPWR, Plastic Packaging Tax (UK)
- ESD (electrostatic discharge)
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A sudden flow of static electricity that can damage electronic parts. ESD-safe packaging controls static build-up.
- EVOH
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Ethylene vinyl alcohol, a plastic layer with a very high oxygen barrier, used inside multi-layer films and trays.
Read more · See also: High-barrier film, MAP (modified atmosphere packaging)
F
- FCL (full container load)
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A shipping container booked by one shipper. Pack loads are usually quoted for a 40 ft container, with or without pallets.
Read more · See also: Cartons per pallet, Carton (export carton)
- Flowpack
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An open tray wrapped in film on a horizontal flow-wrapping machine, a light alternative to a lidded pack.
Read more · See also: Overwrap tray
- Food contact material
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Any material meant to touch food. It must meet the rules of its market, including limits on migration into the food.
Read more · See also: Migration, Resin identification code
G
H
- Heat-seal punnet
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An open tray closed by heat-sealing a film lid to its rim. Tamper-evident and light, but it needs a tray sealer.
Read more · See also: Lidding film, Punnet
- High-barrier film
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A multi-layer film that blocks oxygen and moisture, such as PET/EVOH/PE, for meat, dairy and other sensitive food.
Read more · See also: EVOH, MAP (modified atmosphere packaging)
I
- Intrinsic viscosity (IV)
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A measure of the length of PET's molecular chains. It affects strength and how the sheet processes, so it is controlled during extrusion.
- ISO 15378
-
The good-manufacturing-practice standard for primary packaging materials for medicines, such as blister film.
Read more · See also: Blister pack
L
- Lidding film
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A film heat-sealed onto a tray or punnet to close it. It can be perforated for breathing produce or high-barrier for MAP.
See also: Heat-seal punnet, MAP (modified atmosphere packaging)
M
- MAP (modified atmosphere packaging)
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Packing food in a sealed tray where the air is replaced with a protective gas mix, which slows spoilage.
Read more · See also: High-barrier film, Lidding film
- Mass balance
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A chain-of-custody method where recycled or bio-based feedstock is mixed with conventional feedstock and the share is allocated by bookkeeping rather than physically separated.
- Micron
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One thousandth of a millimetre, the unit for sheet and film thickness: 300 microns is 0.3 mm.
- Migration
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The transfer of substances from packaging into food. Food-contact rules set limits, checked by testing.
Read more · See also: Food contact material
- Mono-material
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A pack made from one type of plastic, which is easier to recycle than a mix of materials.
N
- Nesting
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Stacking empty packs inside one another. Packs that nest deeply fit more to a carton and a container.
Read more · See also: De-nesting, Carton (export carton)
O
- OBP (ocean-bound plastic)
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Plastic waste collected near coasts and waterways before it reaches the sea.
P
- PCR (post-consumer recycled)
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Recycled material from products consumers have used, such as bottles. Pre-consumer recycled material comes from factory scrap.
- PET
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Polyethylene terephthalate, resin code 1: a clear, strong, widely recycled plastic for bottles, punnets, trays and sheet.
- PETG
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PET modified with glycol: tougher and easier to form into deep or detailed shapes.
- Plastic Packaging Tax (UK)
-
A UK tax per tonne on plastic packaging with less than 30% recycled content, paid by UK manufacturers and importers.
Read more · See also: EN 15343, EPR (extended producer responsibility)
- PPWR
-
The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, which sets recycling, recycled-content and labelling rules for packaging sold in the EU.
Read more · See also: EPR (extended producer responsibility)
- Punnet
-
A small retail pack for soft fruit and vegetables such as berries, grapes and cherry tomatoes.
Read more · See also: Clamshell, Heat-seal punnet
- PVC
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Polyvinyl chloride, resin code 3: a rigid, clear sheet long used for pharma blisters, cards and printing.
Read more · See also: Blister pack, PVDC coating
- PVDC coating
-
A polyvinylidene chloride coating that raises the moisture and oxygen barrier of blister film.
Read more · See also: Blister pack, PVC
R
- Resin identification code
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The number in the recycling triangle that names the plastic: 1 PET, 2 HDPE, 3 PVC, 4 LDPE, 5 PP, 6 PS, 7 other. It does not by itself show a plastic is food grade.
- rPET
-
Recycled PET: used PET collected, cleaned and made into new material. The same polymer as virgin PET.
Read more · See also: PET, PCR (post-consumer recycled), Starlinger deCON
S
T
- Tamper-evident
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Shows clearly if a pack has been opened, for example a strip that tears off on first opening.
Read more · See also: Clamshell, Heat-seal punnet
- Thermoforming
-
Heating plastic sheet until soft, forming it over a mould with vacuum or air pressure, then trimming: how punnets, trays and blisters are made.
Read more · See also: Draw depth, APET
V
- Vents
-
Holes or slots in a produce pack that let fruit breathe and stop condensation.
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