Northern European beverage producer Royal Unibrew has partnered with Petainer, a provider of PET kegs and refillable bottles, to develop 500ml lightweight PET bottle for soft drinks.
Image: Royal Unibrew packaging procurement manager Kirsten Hansen and Petainer sales manager Tomas Carlmon at the Royal Unibrew plant in Faxe. Photo: courtesy of Petainer.
Through a joint initiative, the firms have developed PET bottle with 50% food grade post-consumer recycled PET for 500ml Pepsi branded carbonated soft drinks.
Petainer said that the inclusion of 50% of recycled PET in the new bottle exceeds the European Union’s (EU) Single Use Plastics directive, which aims to incorporate 25% recycled plastic in PET bottles from 2025 and 30% in plastic bottles from 2030.
Petainer European commercial director Craig Pope said: “From concept design to execution of the project, our cross functional teams have partnered with Royal Unibrew to develop a best in class packaging design for its carbonated soft drinks.”
Petainer said that the Royal Unibrew’s plant in Faxe Denmark has benefited from improved processability of the bottle, thus increasing the production line output. It also reduced the amount of energy and compressed air usage in the manufacturing process.
In a statement, Petainer said: “The reduction in product weight reduces C02 emissions with 135 tonnes CO2eq, a 7.44% reduction by saving 67.2 tonnes of material per annum, further enhancing the product’s carbon footprint.”
The newly developed PET bottle makes use of Petainer’s 500ml lightweight preform. It also incorporates 50% Cleanpet flakes, which are produced from recycled PET bottles collected locally.
In order to achieve maximum performance, strength and appearance, Petainer said it used its processing and quality expertise to incorporate high levels of post-consumer recycled PET (PCR) flakes into the preform.
The preform is manufactured at Petainer’s site based in Lidkӧping, Sweden. The site is powered entirely by hydroelectric power.
The PCR is claimed to have significantly lower carbon footprint compared to that of virgin PET materials, the firm said.
Royal Unibrew official Valdas Gaurelis said: “As a major beverage provider we are committed to continuous improvement when it comes to the sustainability of our packaging and operations.
“This new product developed in partnership with Petainer is another positive step in increasing the use of recycled content and working with suppliers with strong environmental credentials.”