PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2017

PREFORM PRODUCTION PET planet Insider Vol. 18 No. 06/17 www.petpla.net 18 Preforms for 5-gallon refillable bottles Hodmeter replaces PCB with PET The 5-gallon refillable ‘water cooler’ bottle is a niche market and one that was under specific pressure with the Europe- wide ban on BPAs. Hodmeter responded with the develop- ment of a new, PET 5-gallon bottle, complete with integral handle and non-spill cap. French company Hodmeter S.à.r.l., which is based in Darnétal, on the outskirts of Rouen, is dedicated to the design, development, manufacture and supply of products and services for home and office delivery. One of its most visible products is the 5-gallon ‘water cooler’ bottle, the locus of countless office interactions in Europe and across the world. The familiar 5-gallon polycarbon- ate bottle has been under pressure to reform and be reconstituted. BPA (bis- phenol A), a plasticiser used in PCB, has been identified as an “endocrine disruptor”; a compound found to pro- duce adverse developmental, repro- ductive, neurological, and immune effects in both humans and wildlife. It has been determined to be harmful even at low concentrations and may pose the greatest risk during prena- tal and early postnatal development, when organs and neural systems are forming in the developing child. It has been banned from use in baby feed- ing bottles in the EU, under Direc- tive 2011/8/EU. It has been banned in France for use in any and all food packaging under Law 2012–1442. The ECHA (European Chemicals Agency) added BPA to the REACH (Regis- tration, Evaluation, Authorisation & restriction of Chemicals) candidate list in January 2017. The search has been on for a replacement for PCB in large-capacity bottles for several years. Hodmeter narrowed down the alternatives to two: Tritan co-polyester, which has similar production processes and supply chain to PCB; and PET, in a heavy preform with local blow-mould- ing line. Neither solution provides a perfect replacement for PCB; each has its advantages and disadvan- tages. The company’s research and development program began in April 2012 with specialist washing and drop tests of PET prototype bottles, under- taken in collaboration with Defeaus S.à.r.l., a producer of mineral water. PET scored positively on its impact resilience; UV resistance; ease of assembly (blowing); logistics and supply chain; cost of production and recyclability. It fared less well on reaction to extremes of tempera- tures, rigidity, scratch resistance and the need for blow-moulding know- how, which may not be present in the established suppliers of large-capacity bottled water. Hodmeter determined PREFORM special