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Sidel has launched its latest innovation – the StarLite-R Nitro bottle base – designed to enhance the appeal and performance of still nitrogen-dosed beverages and edible oils packaged in 100% recycled PET (rPET).

The new bottle base features a unique 'wave' pattern that departs from the traditional petaloid shape, providing manufacturers with greater creative scope to differentiate their products on the shelves.

According to Sidel's packaging innovator leader, Laurent Naveau, the distinctive design is "the most aesthetically appealing bottle base for liquid nitrogen-dosed products with a mainstream or affordable market positioning".

Nitrogen dosing is a common process used to increase the pressure inside bottles, improving their resilience during transportation and handling.

Laurent added: “Nitrogen dosing adds a small quantity of liquid nitrogen to beverage and food products which enables an increase in pressure inside the bottle ultimately aiding the pack’s resistance as it travels through the supply chain. This process is used for still beverages and food products. Brands are looking for a design that does not resemble a petaloid while maintaining the same performance as this traditional shape; this is a key feature of StarLite-R Nitro."

Sidel's StarLite-R Nitro base has been engineered to deliver high mechanical performance at high production speeds, even when using 100% rPET material, which can be more sensitive to breakage.

The bottle base's optimised mold geometry and efficient venting system enable easy and consistent shaping, with the potential to run at speeds up to 2,700 bottles per hour per mould for single-serve formats, or 2,500 bottles per hour per mould for multi-serve bottles.

In addition to its visual appeal and technical capabilities, the StarLite-R Nitro base also offers sustainable advantages. By switching from virgin PET to 100% rPET, manufacturers can reduce the carbon footprint of a 0.5-litre bottle by up to 32%.

Further, the base's optimised venting design allows for a 25% reduction in blowing pressure compared to the market average, resulting in additional energy savings.

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