PETpla.net Insider 04 / 2014

CAPPING / CLOSURES 37 PET planet insider Vol. 15 No. 04/14 www.petpla.net Custom 1.75l PET bottle for McCormick Distilling’s eco-friendly 360 Vodka from Amcor uses swing top closure McCormick Distilling, a Weston, Missouri, USA based manu- facturer and distributor of premium spirits, has converted its eco-friendly 360 Vodka 1.75l line from glass to lightweight PET bottles from Amcor Rigid Plastics. The custom 1.75l container delivers distinctive styling and consumer handling and supports a swing top closure. ture a swing top closure. Adapting the closure to PET was a major design challenge for the bottle manufacturer, according to Myles Graybill, Amcor project engineer. Amcor’s Advanced Engineering team performed Finite Element Analysis (FEA) modelling to predict the container’s performance behaviour and adapted the metal- based closure to the 23mm finish diameter, thus creating a bottle that would be fully functional. “The neck design was critical as we undertook many iterations and hours of trial and error to adapt the existing closure to PET,” said Graybill. The design also incorporates a tamper-evident band strip. Amcor also reduced the bottle’s height, enabling the container to be better displayed on retail shelves. Previously, retailers either didn’t carry the product or were forced to place it on a top shelf or lay it down. McCor- mick uses PET containers in various sizes for a range of spirits products. 360 Vodka comes in a wide variety of flavours and is available in retail establishments throughout the U.S. www.mccormickdistilling.com www.amcor.com McCormick Distilling, located in historic Weston, Missouri, is the oldest continuously operating distillery in the U.S. McCormick is a spirits maker with a new mix of products, based on nearly 150 years of experience. The bottle for 360 Vodka was designed to impart the look and feel of glass. At the same time, the lightweight PET container delivers the well-known sustainability advantages, reduced shipping and transportation costs, and a reduced carbon footprint. The con- tainers are 1/10 the weight of glass bottles, unbreakable, and recyclable. As part of its sustainability focus, McCormick also uses reusable clo- sures and recycled paper printed with water-based eco-friendly inks. Since organic grain leaves a larger footprint, 360 Vodka uses local grain grown less than 95 miles / 153km from the country’s most energy efficient distill- ery where 360 Vodka is crafted. This gives the brand its distinctive, smooth taste that has been awarded with multiple platinum and gold medals for taste from international spirits compe- titions. Amcor claims that the PET con- tainer for McCormick is the first to fea- Swing top lifts the spirit