PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2012

BOTTLE MAKING 22 PET planet insider Vol. 13 No. 06/12 www.petpla.net Amcor Rigid Plastics grows with PET wine bottles Bumper harvest Beyond the food and pharmaceuticals industries, Amcor Rigid Plastics supplies the bever- age industry with plastic bottles for non-alcoholic beverages and also beer, wine, and spirits. Recently, the focus has shifted towards providing wine in PET bottles. In the following interview, Fred Piercy, Business Director for spirits, wine and beer, speaks about how this development came about, why wine in PET is being received positively, especially in the USA, how winemak- ers are profiting from the PET bottle trend, what the future could look like for wine in PET, and what specific requirements are necessary in the case of PET bottles for wine. Wine into PET? PETplanet: Mr Piercy, what do you think are the reasons for wine in PET bottles becoming more prominent with consumers in the USA? Piercy: First of all, there are the general advantages that come with the PET bottle. Consumers like the light, non-breakable bottles and often opt for this convenient type of container – once they’re convinced that the wine in PET bottle is of a good quality. Besides the lightweight and non-breakability of PET bottles, wine companies also consider the advantages in transportation and truck utilisation of the lightweight and smaller footprint containers. This pro- vides for a sustainable solution. Inciden- tally, in the interest of sustainability we only supply our clients with PET wine bottles that are 100% recyclable. PETplanet: Who do you consider to be the main target groups for wine in PET? Piercy: Young adults are showing great interest in the PET bottle for wine, for instance. They are particularly recep- tive to innovative container concepts. At the same time they’re always on the move and appreciate the convenience they have in a lightweight, non-breakable PET bottle. Furthermore, we count par- ticularly convenience-oriented consum- ers of all legal drinking ages as part of our main target group. These include consumers who don’t want to carry heavy wine bottles back home with them after a big shopping trip, for example, or consumers who buy wine that they drink in venues outside the home. PET takes to the air PETplanet: Is retail the main sales channel for wine in PET bottles or is the hospitality trade also showing some interest? Piercy: Wine in PET is chiefly in demand with retailers. However, we are seeing an increase in demand from airlines. For example, the Cecchetti Wine Company from California sup- plies 187-ml PET bottles of their Red Tree brand wines to Air Canada, Brit- ish Airways, and Continental Airlines. According to Roy Cecchetti, president of the Cecchetti Wine Company, airlines see the advantage of the lightweight PET wine bottle in the lower use of fuel – which in turn gives them sustain- ability and cuts costs. For air traffic the non-breakability of PET bottles is also a major criterion, and it’s important that Amcor provides PET wine bottles that preserve the quality of the wine as per- fectly as traditional glass bottles do. This point of view is shared by Aldo Geloso, president of the Société De Vin Internationale Ltée. The Société De Vin Internationale Ltée is based in Canada and has recently started filling many of its fine wines into 1l PET wine bottles destined for airlines. It already works in close collaboration with Air Transat, one of the biggest charter airlines in Canada. Air Transat decided to start using the container after feedback from pas- sengers during the test phase proved extremely positive. At 54g the 1l PET wine bottle for Air Transat weighs just an eighth of the 1l receptacle made of glass. Geloso reckons on more airlines showing an interest in his wine brands in the 1l PET bottle in the future. He is also thinking about bottling products such as cider in smaller 330ml and 500ml sizes of PET bottle and selling these through the retail trade. PET wine bottles are becoming increasingly popular in the USA. Of all wines filled in the USA, 4% reaches the consumer in the PET bottle. Sutter Home acted as a pioneer when in 2005 they began filling wine into 187ml PET bottles. The 187ml PET bottle is usually sold in packs of four. sensitive BEVERAGES