Unilever selects LyondellBasell’s new Clyrell PP resin for its ice cream packaging

A new polypropylene injection moulding grade from LyondellBasell has been chosen by Unilever for use in the commercial production of clear containers for its Carte d’Or ice cream brand. Clyrell EC340R has been selected due to its unique combination of flowability, rigidity and impact strength.

Better flowability without altering impact strength

With a melt flow rate of 25 g/10min, Clyrell EC340R outperforms other PP resins used for ice cream packaging which have an average melt flow of 15 g/10min. In addition, the resin demonstrates very good impact resistance at temperatures down to – 20°C.

"In general, increased flowability leads to a significant reduction of impact strength, but we managed both – to achieve exceptional flowability without altering rigidity and impact strength," said Nathalie Cartiaux, LyondellBasell’s Technical Service Manager for Injection Moulding. "The higher level of impact resistance and stiffness enabled Unilever to achieve high top load potential without distortion, which helped them optimize their manufacturing processes for ice cream".

Another advantage linked to the resin’s unique property combination of rigidity and flowability is the wall-thickness of produced parts, which can be reduced up to 10 percent, leading to potential further weight-savings. "In the long run, this thin wall injection moulding resin will help customers reduce their contribution to waste recovery systems such as "Green Point " in Germany, as manufacturers have to contribute to these programs based on the weight of each package they produce", said Cartiaux. The new Clyrell EC340R also meets food contact requirements and containers produced using the resin can be microwave reheated due to their good wall rigidity.

Improved aesthetics

In addition to its mechanical properties, Clyrell EC340R features improved stress-whitening behavior. "I believe the resin will prove to be a good choice for converters who want to produce applications with high gloss and bright colours, without stress-whitening. The resin’s aesthetic properties have been improved because of its optimized molecular structure", said Cartiaux.

Cartiaux added, "With the new Carte d’Or application, we have set a new benchmark in performance for clear polypropylene resins used in transparent injection moulded ice cream packaging. In addition to transparent ice cream containers and lids, customers typically use Clyrell PP resins for thin-wall injection that can include toys, pails and containers for food and non-food applications.

The resin will be manufactured in Europe and will be available for export.