PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2016

BOTTLE MAKING 26 PET planet insider Vol. 17 No. 09/16 www.petpla.net Amcor and Method overcome design challenges to develop first 100% PCR PET bottle for liquid laundry Clear containers for coloured concentrates Amcor has broken new ground with the development of the industry’s first liquid laundry bottle made of 100% post-con- sumer recycled (PCR) PET. The company helped San Fran- cisco-based Method Products, the leader in eco-friendly household, fabric and personal care products, expand its liquid laundry offering. Its new 4x concentrated detergent product is packaged in a 53oz PET bottle made of 100% PCR PET resin. The breakthrough development, manifested in a sleek, transparent custom container with strong shelf appeal, did not come without resolu- tion of some key process, mould, and design challenges, according to Matt Lewis, senior development engineer for Amcor Rigid Plastics. “Through our strong partnership with Method we have developed a long line of unique PET packages,” said Lewis. “We were able to again push the envelope and deliver an important advancement in bottle design, this time for the liquid laundry detergent market.” Method, which is well-known for its brightly coloured hand wash and all-purpose cleaning formulations showcased in clear PET bottles, achieved an industry first in a market that has pre- viously been essentially limited to opaque high- density polyethylene (HDPE) containers. This new PET offering in the liquid laundry segment resonates with the rest of Method’s brand portfolio in hand wash and all-purpose cleaners, according to Joe Hunter, director of packaging. Collaborative work solves three issues Amcor had to overcome three pri- mary challenges, namely: colour sta- bility of the laundry detergent in PET; hand grip design; and neck design. It worked in partnership with Method to tackle all of these issues. Method’s desire to offer liquid laundry detergent in a PET bottle required the company to address two fundamental problems: the lack of compatibility of its detergent products with PET packaging; and colour sta- bility issues. Up until now, PET has struggled to enter the liquid laundry detergent market precisely because of these factors. First, Amcor set up a test pro- tocol to assist Method in assessing its product formulas and compat- ibility with various clear PET bottle grades. This helped Method chem- ists in their formulation development and ultimately led to assurances of the package’s stability on the store shelf. Amcor did initial testing on preforms and further stability testing revealed no issues after numerous trials. Amcor also addressed the neck design, which presented challenges due to the two-piece polypropylene (PP) pour spout and cup closure. The pour spout required orientation to the front of the bottle and once in that location could not be rotated by the removal of the pour cup. This was complicated because the PP closure was designed for an HDPE bottle. PET is a more rigid and less flexible material and is less forgiving in terms of closure screw-on performance. The lug design on the neck finish went through a series of design trials and modifications in order to attain the positive stop in the thread finish. bottle making