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PakTech is the leading producer of sustainable packaging handles.
Made from 100% recycled and recyclable rHDPE plastic, their handles have provided leading brands and retailers with sustainable packaging solutions for over 30 years. A family owned and operated business, PakTech was found in 1991 and is headquartered in Eugene, Oregon. Now with a team of 275+, PakTech has a clear vision for its own role in creating a sustainable future by fully embracing the principles of the circular economy.
PakTech helps customers meet their own ambitious sustainability goals. 100% recycled and 100% recyclable, it is the sustainable packaging solution for businesses.
PakTech is a full-service company, providing handles and application equipment to food, beverage and consumer goods industries. It is the leading producer of secondary packaging that is smart, sustainable and simple.
PakTech handles are made from 100% recycled HDPE and are repurposed from milk jugs and similar containers. The physical properties of PakTech solutions, thanks to its raw material (recycled HDPE), molding process and designs, make them the strongest, least brittle and perfectly flexible secondary packaging to keep products secure. Designed with users in mind, PakTech handles are molded to enhance carrier comfort that is consumer friendly and preferred. Easy to apply, carry and remove, they are also beautifully and smartly designed to ensure that businesses gain maximum brand exposure in all retail display format.
In 1982, Jim Borg, a toolmaker engineer by background, founded a small facility creating custom molds and injection molded parts for large companies such as Sony and HP. In 1993, a local dairy reached out seeking to combine two one-gallon jugs of milk into a single package. It was at this point that Jim invented his first multi pack handle and the rest is history. PakTech was founded in 1991. Our PakTech team is 275+ strong today.
We have long-lasting customer relationships. We’ve been providing solutions to retailers, brewers, consumer packaged goods manufacturers and other brand owners for over 30 years. We work with start-ups to leading CPG brands.
PakTech’s successful business relationships have always been founded on great customer service and problem-solving partnerships. The rapid growth in demand for sustainable packaging means that retailers and brand owners need partners who can help them meet their commitments and retain consumer loyalty. This is where PakTech’s products and service become ever more valuable.
Our PakTech handles are manufactured in the US, where we have a strong relationship with our value chain. We have two manufacturing locations, one located in Eugene, Oregon and the other in Cottage Grove, Oregon. We also have an Applicator Division located in Eugene, Oregon where PakTech’s automated applicators are designed and built.
PakTech handles are made from 100% recycled HDPE which are repurposed from milk jugs and similar containers. We strongly believe recycled HDPE to be the best raw material for our handle products because the physical properties along with our molding process and designs make it the strongest, least brittle, perfectly flexible material that is indefinitely recyclable. As a material, HDPE is the “best in class” found in milk bottles, shampoo and detergent bottles.
On May 14th 2020, PakTech received a SCS global certificate for their 100% recycled product. This recent achievement certifies that PakTech handles are 100% Recycled Plastic – High Density Polyethylene (HDPE).
Second life PakTech handles are 100% recyclable and are repurposed into new PakTech handles, composite lumber, flower pots, pipes, park benches and more. HDPE is infinitely recyclable. PakTech launched its own recycling program to ensure they are recycled as they should be.
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PakTech handles are products which can be used and reused multiple times, and then recycled back into more handles.
HDPE is the most widely accepted material at recycling centers across the world and is the easiest material to recycle and can be infinitely repurposed into new products.
We strongly believe recycled HDPE is the best material for our handle products because the physical properties along with our molding process and designs make it the strongest, least brittle, perfectly flexible material that is indefinitely recyclable. As a material, HDPE is the “best in class” found in milk bottles, shampoo and detergent bottles.
Injection molding is a process of making plastic pieces of almost any shape, form or function. Hard pellets of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) are transformed into a liquid, squirted into a mold, allowed to harden and taken out of the mold via a robotic arm. The whole process is much more complicated and involves precision molding and processing, but this is it in a nut-shell. Several of our online videos show an injection molding machine in action. PakTech has expertise in the injection molding process and believes it to be the best way of making 3D parts which allow for comfort and strength.
We have hundreds of handles, in many different sizes and styles. Check out our Handles pages to view current stock handles. And excel in making custom handles.
Since the beginning, PakTech has always strived to solve our customers’ unique challenges. Listening to customers and diligently solving their problems led us to create the first TwinPak and UniPak handles, and we can do the same for you too. Rapid turnaround is the name of the game, as our experienced in-house engineering department is on hand to provide ingenious part designs which can be turned into working prototypes in a matter of days. Ask and we’ll build it for you.
We have a wide variety of colors to choose from. You can see the on our handles page. Our customer service team is dedicated to helping your company chose a color that compliments your package. Don’t see a perfect color match. We are happy to create any custom color to beautifully accent your package.
Our handles are priced competitively. The price depends of handle size and order size, and the higher the order volume, the lower the price. Our Sales team is happy to assess your needs and provide quotes based on your specific project.
PakTech procures its raw materials from re-processors that collect recycled HDPE through curbside and other collections in various municipalities. The discarded products are collected and baled by Material Reclamation Facilities (MRF’s) and sold to the re-processors for conversion into pellet form, which can then be used in our injection moulding process to make handles, providing a second life to the HDPE material.
We are currently partnered with two primary suppliers, Merlin Plastics located in British Columbia, Canada and Envision Plastics located in Chino, CA. All materials are transported via railcar to achieve the lowest possible carbon footprint in transportation.
Our products are sustainably sourced. We have ongoing partnerships within the value chain to ensure that we divert milk jugs and similar products from landfill. From an environmental standpoint, PakTech research shows that one ton of recycled plastic saves 5,774 Kwh of energy, 16.3 barrels of oil, 98 million BTU’s of energy, and 30 cubic yards of landfill space. PakTech conducted the research based on various sources of information available.
Currently, our handles are transported from Oregon to customers via LTL, Over the Road, and/or Intermodal.
PakTech’s commitment to responsible sourcing goes beyond the product material. PakTech considers a holistic view from the least impactful logistics of acquiring resin to supplier work ethics and facility practices. They look beyond the traditional aspects of cost and quality. They consider labor rights, social, and environmental issues when sourcing raw material. PakTech’s Supplier Code of Conduct sets expectations for anyone that supplies raw material to comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
To provide circular packaging solutions manufactured from 100% recycled HDPE that are reusable and recyclable.
There is no question that plastic packaging and its impact on the environment is under scrutiny. With people constantly being bombarded by images of plastic waste the public backlash against plastic is understandable. However, real commitment to sustainability requires us to make informed choices.
Simply switching plastics to alternatives can lead to unintended consequences like increased food waste, emissions and energy consumption. Below we note plastic myths and how PakTech handles help customers avoid the unintended consequences.
By using 100% recycled HDPE, PakTech handles use 90% less energy, use 100% less petroleum and reduce CO2 emissions when compared to virgin HDPE.
Plastic packaging protects products from damage, contamination and prolongs the shelf-life of food – all of which help to reduce food waste and associated greenhouse gas emissions.
The material’s light weight, durability and low volume contributes to saving resources and reducing emissions during transportation.
Studies demonstrate that replacing all existing plastic packaging with these alternative materials could lead to the doubling of global energy consumption and tripled greenhouse gas emissions.
Despite consumer expectations, biodegradable and compostable packaging require very specific requirements thus they do not easily breakdown at home or in landfills. Instead, they must be sent to special industrial facilities to be broken down or composted at industrial heat that requires high energy consumption.
Moreover, biodegradable and compostable material can have detrimental effects on the recyclability of collected material when they are wrongly sorted by contaminating the recycling stream.pollutants than plastic and is only recyclable up to 7 times if at all
While material is obviously important (which is why we use 100% recycled HDPE!), the design of packaging is just as critical as it determines its reusability and recyclability.
Designed to be recycled, reusable and recyclable, PakTech handles truly embrace the principles of sustainability and circularity.
The growing awareness of plastic pollution has led to an indiscriminate vilification of all things made of plastic, despite clear differences in environmental impact among different plastic products. Such variance in ecological burden is clear when one compares virgin plastic production with recycled plastic production:
Recycling is still the most economically and environmentally viable method for avoiding depletion of valuable resources and keeping the material actively being reused. Improved technology is already coming online and available to help accommodate sorting of materials.
HDPE Plastic (what our handles are made from) can be mechanically recycled over and over without loss of physical properties. The re-processing of HDPE from the waste stream utilizes products after their 1st life use through their 20th life mixed together. This means that the physical properties are being re-established in the process each time it is recycled and reprocessed. It is not the same as taking one handle and just keep grinding and reprocessing. This makes it infinitely circular.
Many brands have sustainability goals to package their product with 25-50% recycled packaging. PakTech can supersede that goal and can provide a 100% recycled packaging solution today and spearheaded this sustainability trend over 8 years ago. In 2012, PakTech made a commitment to manufacture products made from 100% recycled HDPE that are reusable and are 100% recyclable after use.
Since using recycled HDPE PakTech has repurposed over a half billion recycled milk jugs into packaging handles! This has kept over 70 million lbs. of plastic out of the waste stream and saved 29 acres of land from being used as landfill waste.
On May 14th 2020, PakTech received a SCS global certificate for their 100% recycled product. This recent achievement certifies that PakTech handles are 100% Recycled Plastic – High Density Polyethylene (HDPE).
PakTech was also awarded as one of ‘The 56 Names in Sustainability You Should Know in 2020’ by Business Intelligence Group.
Made from 100% recycled HDPE, PakTech handles are strong, water-resistant and perfectly flexible, making them the ideal packaging solution for both warehouse and consumer use. Yes, cardboard is flexible, but this is compromised by its weak structural integrity that is susceptible to tears. Furthermore, as cardboard is not water resistant, it becomes damaged and unusable when wet – a highly probable incident in warehouses and supermarkets full of consumer goods that contain liquid.
Cardboard is also only recyclable up to seven times, if at all, whereas the recycled HDPE that PakTech handles are made from means they are infinitely recyclable! Plus, our study has shown that in all life-cycle metrics analyzed, PakTech handles outperform cardboard.
PakTech solutions have a very low overall carbon footprint and are significantly superior to printed cardboard alternatives. Accounting for several phases in the life-cycle analysis (raw material extraction & manufacturing, transport to converter, conversion and end-of-life), the PakTech Handles packaging system generates a lower environmental impact than the boxboard system in all life-cycle metrics evaluated.
In the US, we ran a life-cycle assessment of the PakTech 6PCE-2020-260-PCR handle (the typical 6 pack handle) and a 6-pack cardboard carton box. Our results show that a cardboard carton box:
The smart design of PakTech handles also minimize inventory loss – a priority for all retailers. Firstly, as the handles are designed to fit the products they are applied to, PakTech handles prevent slippage by keeping the units secure. Secondly, as PakTech handles are applied to each unit as opposed to externally wrapping an entire pack like plastic film and shrink-wrap, a unit that goes missing is easily replaceable (just pop it right back in!) and it’s retail ready. It goes to say that an entire pack wrapped in plastic film or shrink-wrap is compromised when a product is lost: the packaging is irreparably damaged and the pack of goods can no longer be sold in the same bulk format it was packaged in. In addition, PakTech handles let the brand speak for itself as opposed to covering the product artwork with an unnecessary layer of packaging.
Moreover, plastic film and shrink-wrap are not only single use packaging but are among the least collected and most difficult materials to recycle. PakTech handles on the other hand are reusable many times over (up to 40 times) before they are recycled.
Applied on top of cans, PakTech handles are hygienic by keeping can tops not only clean and dry but also protecting exposed surfaces from contamination. During a time when we must maintain the utmost hygiene standards, consumers will be reassured by PakTech handles. Plastic rings on the other hand, leave can tops exposed, specifically those areas with which we come into physical contact.
And like plastic film and shrink-wrap, plastic rings are also made for single-use and not widely recycled.
Bio-fibre packaging is viewed positively by consumers as it is perceived to come from natural origins, meaning it must be environmentally friendly. However, every material has their own environmental consequences. Bio-fibre packaging production is a resource intensive process and may divert land away from food production when used to grow material to produce goods like packaging and cutlery. Rather than depleting natural resources, PakTech handles give second and third lives to plastic waste, diverting it away from our lands and oceans and back into production and productive use.
Furthermore, bio-fibre packaging rings do not perform as well in terms of practicality as they are neither durable nor water-resistant and are made for single-use. Not to mention, packaging is more disposable when it is weaker and more permeable, exacerbating the issue of waste accumulation. Both businesses and consumers must come together reverse our throw-away culture.
Biodegradable and compostable packaging similarly enjoy a widely favourable perception from consumers with a report revealing that over 80% of consumers perceive these packaging as environmentally friendly. However, despite consumer expectations, biodegradable and compostable packaging require very specific requirements thus they do not easily breakdown at home or in landfills. Instead, they must be sent to special industrial facilities to be broken down or composted at industrial heat that requires high energy consumption.
Furthermore, the lack of a clear standard when it comes to defining what is considered biodegradable and compostable further adds an additional layer of confusion for consumers and in reality, very little of this material is actually industrially composted due to the lack of treatment infrastructure and ends up being treated as general waste. Moreover, biodegradable and compostable material can have detrimental effects on the recyclability of collected material when they are wrongly sorted by contaminating the recycling stream.
PakTech designs, builds, installs and services automated applicators that apply PakTech handles on-line at their plant. PakTech Applicators are available at any requested line speed, or can be customized to run at any required rates. All PakTech Applicators, even the most customized machines, are designed to be able to run multiple handle sizes or styles with quick change parts.
Our goal is to provide our customers the most valuable solution that utilizes both our handles and durable machines. This value is derived from providing a collaborative buying experience where we genuinely want to help improve your end of line efficiencies by providing flexible packaging machinery that are easy to use, quick to service and last the test of time.
PakTech Applicator Division is a Eugene, Oregon based manufacturer of customized end of line packaging machines for all handles designed and manufactured by PakTech. Established in 1991, we are a world class manufacturer with hundreds of automation solutions in the field.
PakTech’s Applicators can be highly customized to include features like barcode inspection, handle application inspection, and rejection systems. The diverse product line includes entry level intermittent motion machines to high speed continuous motion equipment. Indexed, pick & place or robotic machines, coupled with our custom handle technology makes PakTech a true single source for end of line packaging.
With installations globally, we have successfully installed our applicators in a diverse range of industries including food, beverage, beer and wine. PakTech Applicators group can provide turn-key solutions to integrate with production lines, including upstream and downstream conveyors, controls integration, installation, and commissioning.
PakTech designs, builds, installs and services your equipment so you will not be without 24/7 support. We also provide spare parts and have an extensive training program to help educate your senior maintenance. We strongly believe this helps keep servicing costs and maintenance issues at a minimum.
Our customers have many requirements and we handle them all. For lower volumes or slower speeds, a customer may require a tool that assists with hand application, or they may want a semi-automatic machine for speeds up to 15 cases per minute. For higher volume, faster lines, our intermittent motion models can apply handles at the rates of up to 35 cases per minute. And for fast, high volume lines, machines apply handles at a continuous motion rate- up to 225 bottles per minute. Check out our handle applicators page to find links to all available models and specs.
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