Rights granted to US manufacturer for Superthene recyclable non-PVC film
A POLYOLEFIN cling film made in Cape Town is now being manufactured in the United States to meet growing interest from the US and Canada.
This wrap is a non-toxic and recyclable alternative to traditional PVC plastic wrap. Roy Keytel of Superthene, the Cape Town company that holds the IP for the product, explains how its use is expanding: “In the US, we mostly wrap red meat, but we are now breaking into fresh produce like corn, baby cucumbers, and mushrooms.”
The Superthene wrap is 100% compatible with common polyethylene recycle waste streams.
The Sigma Plastics Group has received the license to manufacture Superthene’s flagship product in the US for sole distribution within North America by LK Ind Packaging Solutions.
Tariffs on Chinese imports should help them in the US market, Keytel remarks. “Manufacturing in the US will make us fairly competitive with other forms of wrap, PVC, or other variants, produced there or imported from outside of the USA. Shipping costs from South Africa have become prohibitive for our product.”
Postponement of European PVC ban
In South Africa, Superthene cling film is widely used by retailers for the full basket of fresh produce, as well as red meat and poultry, while in Germany the film is currently used to wrap mushrooms. Superthene is for sale in Europe through NNZ.
“Although we have received approvals on various produce groups, the European interest has fallen substantially as governments have extended the cut-off date for single-use plastics. Also, our landed price is currently quite a lot higher than PVC.”
The European Commission has long been lobbied by health and environmental organisations to ban PVC film in the European Union, but a definitive date has yet to be agreed upon by member states. “With our new venture in the US, we will also be able to ship to the EU very competitively, so we look forward to getting momentum back into other produce groups in this market,” added Keytel.
