Why is PET the best choice for packaging water?
Franck Hancard: For water bottling, there isn’t a huge choice when it comes to container materials – only PET or glass. Cans and cartons haven’t taken off for water as they have for CSDs and beer. Plastic packaging is strong, preserves water quality, is reclosable and unbreakable, and it contributes to environmental protection as it’s recyclable and can be lightweighted. It’s also good for marketing, as it facilitates many shapes and design possibilities for brand differentiation.
Is there a high level of demand for PET at the moment?
Hancard: PET is the main material for bottling water and is used more than glass. PET is still requested for water despite the recent attacks it has faced surrounding health and environmental issues. PET for bottles actually represents only 3% of plastic consumption worldwide. Whereas tap water is suitable for within the home, it cannot meet expectations for the on-the-go consumption, meaning that interest in small, portable, resealable formats will remain.
The single-serve format for bottled water (1-litre or less) is still progressing and represents around 75% of the worldwide production of water in PET. For water bottling, there are two primary demands from industry: extreme lightweight bottles, or substantial, premium packaging for luxurious products. There’s less demand for anything in between.
Describe the range of PET services that you offer the bottled water industry.
Hancard: We offer expertise in package design and packaging/product compatibility, with the commitment of an industrial packaging solution that’s completely adapted to the drink’s characteristics, marketing, shelf life, storage and distribution conditions.
This includes art and conceptual design, event-related packaging, the development of optimised shapes for lightweighting, decreasing energy consumption, leading to significant cost savings and a lower environmental impact, feasibility tests to determine if the bottling equipment is suitable, product integrity assessments, and final packaging performance.
What are the latest technical developments in PET bottles for water, and how are they broadening design possibilities for bottled water manufacturers?
Hancard: Lightweighting is an inescapable criterion to reduce TCO and environmental impacts. Sidel offers various possibilities, such as Nestlé’s Eco-Shape and our NoBottle concept. The complete consideration of the package is crucial: the main goal is to have an industrially validated bottle. Its purpose is to be distributed and consumed. If the bottle cannot be filled, palletised or stored, the package doesn’t answer the specifications. Sidel wants to guarantee the final product in the hands of consumers. It should always be practical.
Lightweighting not only concerns the bottle body, but also the neck, which means a short neck with short caps. We also develop labellers that can use very thin labels and take into account end-of-line equipment to manage secondary and third packaging, use less overwrapping and avoid cardboard support.
How is your company addressing environmental issues?
Hancard: Today, Sidel is going even further, working on a mineral water bottle using a 50% recycled PET perform from Husky, presented at Drinktec 2009. This bottle benefits from a perfectly controlled process and displays technical performance identical to that of a traditional PET bottle.
These performance levels are explained by the heating reserve and the quality of heating, which ensures a wide processability window and impeccable bottle quality. This is a further step forward for eco-design of packaging, thanks to waste reduction at the source; PET from old bottles is treated and reused to make new ones.
This approach looks ahead to the reuse of plastic bottles at the end of their life cycle, and it reduces their overall environmental impact. Sidel also works on reducing energy consumption in the heating process and in the bottle blowing step.
What does the future hold for PET as a packaging material for water?
Hancard: PET is the future for water as there’s no other alternative. Sidel is also working on bio-material sourcing in partnership with different universities. The strength of PET and its future will depend on the quality and the capacity of sorting and recycling it.
Franck Hancard – packaging product manager, Sidel – was interviewed by Medina Bailey, editor of Water Innovation magazine. Subscribe here.
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