PETpla.net Insider 04 / 2011

imprint EDITORIAL PUBLISHER Alexander Büchler, Managing Director HEAD OFFICE heidelberg business media GmbH Landhausstr. 4 69115 Heidelberg, Germany phone: +49(0)6221-65108-0 fax: +49(0)6221-65108-28 info@hbmedia.net EDITORIAL Doris Fischer f ischer@hbmedia.net Michael Maruschke Ruari McCallion Ilona Trotter Wolfgang von Schroeter Anthony Withers MEDIA CONSULTANTS Ute Andrä andrae@hbmedia.net Martina Hischmann hirschmann@hbmedia.net Ursula Wachter wachter@hbmedia.net phone: +49(0)6221-65108-0 fax: +49(0)6221-65108-28 France, Italy, Spain, UK Elisabeth Maria Köpke phone: +49(0)6201-878925 fax: +49(0)6201-878926 koepke@hbmedia.net LAYOUT AND PREPRESS Exprim Kommunikationsdesign Matthias Gaumann | www.exprim.de READER SERVICES Kay Krüger reader@hbmedia.net PRINT Chroma Druck & Verlag GmbH Werkstraße 25 67354 Römerberg Germany WWW www.petpla.net | in dia.petpla.net PETplanet insider ISSN 1438-9459 is published 10 times a year. This publication is sent to qualified subscribers (1-year subscription 149 EUR, 2-year subscription 289 EUR, Young professionals’ sub- scription 99 EUR. Magazines will be dispatched to you by airmail). Not to be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. Note: The fact that product names may not be identified as trade marks is not an indication that such names are not registered trademarks. 3 PET planet insider Vol. 12 No. 04/11 www.petpla.net Material savings are everywhere. Here is the automotive industry repeatedly insisting that it wants to build lighter cars and thus reduce fuel consumption, yet research by our sister publication polymotive - polymers in the automotive industry – reveals that in the past ten years there has been no reduction in the weight of the automobile. Very different from the situation in the beverages industry. No prom- ises here about reducing the weight of PET bottles, weight is continu- ally being reduced. The key factor in accelerating this trend in recent years has been the caps. With the introduction of lightweight closures for CSD and still water, new neck geometries have taken the market by storm. Assuming conservatively a weight saving of 5g per bottle, this means some 2,000t less plastic is being used. The process is in full swing, regional suppliers with their flexible structures have recognized their advantage and are moving quickly. The multinationals meanwhile are following slowly. In addition to the more complex internal decision-making, another reason for their lag- ging behind may be that Coca Cola bottlers may be unwilling to pay their preform and cap producers for the high tooling cost of the new neck geometries. A preform producer told us: „Don’t ask Coca Cola for a higher price, higher volume is their aim.” This raises the ques- tion whether such a policy does the brands more harm than good. First: From a financial perspective, material savings would cover new tooling costs many times over. Second: The end user will vote with their wallet. On the super- market shelf, a PCO 1881 looks elegant with its sleek design, in stark contrast to the PCO 28 with its square, chunky shape. Added to this, using an unnecessarily large amount of material is damaging to the environment not only during manufacture, but also transportation and, ultimately, when the bottle is consumed. This is diametrically opposed to a number of bottlers who have nailed their colours to the environmental mast. The major Coca Cola bottlers have all acknowledged this, and have made the change or will shortly do so. For many small regional bottlers of the multinational brands there is as yet no sign of a re-think. Let’s hope for a change of heart. Yours Alexander Büchler EDITORIAL dear readers, EDITORIAL