Finnish bottlers switch to one-way packaging

A change in Finland’s environmental law on plastic packaging, due to come into force in January, is prompting a number of Finnish beverage makers to move from refillable PET bottles to lightweight one way PET.

Carlsberg owned Sinebrychoff, the country’s biggest brewer, has just invested €26 million in two new one way PET bottling lines from Sidel, with capacity of 36,000 bottles per hour.

Sinebrychoff will switch to non-refillable, recyclable PET bottles for some beers and all the non-alcoholic beverages it produces, including Coca-Cola products. “The retail sector wants thin plastic bottles to save space and weight,” said Sinebrychoff CEO Mikael Aro.

At present, Finnish law favours refillable bottles. From next year, however, both refillable and non-refillable plastic bottles (other than dairy products) will have to carry a deposit – but producers will avoid the present €0.51 per litre environmental tax if they achieve an 80% return rate.