The first ready-to-eat packaging with certified renewable food-grade PP offers high dimensional stability and heat resistance.

Sabic and CJ CheilJedang collaborated to develop the first ready-to-eat rice bowl made from 25% certified renewable PP.

Sabic announced the implementation of one of its grades, part of its TRUCIRCLE portfolio of certified renewable Polypropylene (PP) resins, will be used in the production of Hetbahn ‘햇반’ instant white rice bowls from CJ CheilJedang, a food company based in in South Korea.

The first ready-to-eat packaging with renewable PP

These rigid bowls, a statement explains, are the first of their kind to use certified renewable PP in ready-to-eat rice packaging.

Mohammed Al-Zahrani, vice president of SABIC’s Polypropylene business, commented: “Food brands around the world are increasingly looking for materials that help them reduce their carbon footprint without compromising performance, convenience and food safety. their packaging. “We are very pleased with this opportunity to demonstrate SABIC’s extensive experience in sustainable PP resins for rigid food packaging.”

“Our certified renewable grade from our TRUCIRCLE portfolio used in CJ’s Hetbahn rice bowls meets food contact regulations and offers the same ease of processing and high end-use quality as competing all-virgin polymers,” he added. he.

Thermoformed containers

Rice bowls are manufactured by sheet extrusion and subsequent thermoforming. The PP polymer from SABIC’s TRUCIRCLE portfolio has a certified renewable content of 25% and provides the critical attributes of dimensional stability and heat resistance needed when microwaving rice directly in the cup.

In addition to this, used bowls can be returned to the rigid PP recycling stream to recover their material value and enable a more circular packaging industry.

CJ has already started introducing the new Hetbahn rice bowls in E-Mart stores, one of the largest supermarket chains in South Korea.