PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2019

BOTTLE MAKING 56 Vol. 20 No. 06/19 www.petpla.net The market for bottled water in South Africa The artistic aspect of the bottle An imaginary landscape, a magical, spellbinding place, that has insipred legends of mermaids that live with dolphins, otters and whales. But if the mermaids are a legend, the magical beauty of the environment is a breathtaking certainty; the certainty of being in the Tsitsikamma nature reserve, a long, narrow area that stretches for 75 km along the coast of the Eastern Cape, in South Africa. In this wonderful landscape, where pure, transparent water flows, starting in 1997, entrepreneur Judy Woodgate has bottled spring water in a modern installation sold under the brand Tsitsikamma Crystal Spring Water. Today this South African company, which has its head office in the town of Witelsbos (150 km west of Port Elisabeth), is one of the main local realities in the sector of bottled beverages and to satisfy the growing demand for spring water it recently installed a new integrated system Ecobloc Ergon for blowing, filling and capping of 5 l containers, supplied by SMI. Recent data released by the European Federation of Bottled Water (EFBW) shows a global market growth at a much faster speed compared to the soft drinks market. This trend is predicted to last until at least 2022 and, therefore, it is right to expect that even in South Africa, the bottling industry is destined to grow, even if the sector has only been developed recently and has fewer consumers compared to those registered in more consolidated markets. In fact, the population of around 56 million South Africans drink 2.5 litres of mineral water per head annually, compared for example, to the 60 million Italians who consume 147 litres per head. The decision taken by Tsitsikamma Crystal Spring Water to invest in the purchase of a new blowing, filling and capping sytem supplied by SMI sprang from the necessity to intercept the trend in market growth and be ready to satisfy the greater request for bottled water. Currently in South Africa, the bottled water sector is made up of a few, large producers that have automated plants, and by a greater number of small bottlers, where production envisages manual operations beside the use of auto- matic or semi-automatic machinery. There are around 100 companies in the sector, which produce over 270 million litres per year, with stable growth predicted, thanks to more consumer attention towards a healthier lifestyle and to a more frequent choice to quench thirst with natural water instead of carbonated drinks. In South Africa the quality of bottled water is protected and controlled by several regulations, which are vigilated by important organisations like SANBWA (South African National Bottled Water Association). Lightweight 5 l container To bottle their branded natural mineral water, Tsitsikamma Crystal Spring Water use bottles with a sinu- ous design and long life, designed to facilitate grip and transport. Start- ing from a project of bottles already in use, the South African company Tsitsikamma Crystal Spring Water use bottles with a sinuous design and long life, designed to facilitate grip and transport. The company asked SMI to study a lighter, more eco-sustainable, 5 l container.