PETpla.net Insider 03 / 2020

BOTTLING / FILLING PET planet Insider Vol. 21 No. 03/20 www.petpla.net 24 8 l container dispenser in 100% rPET From the source to the table The term “Volvic” derives from the Latin expression “Volcani Vicus” (land of volcanoes) and refers to the Regional National Park of the Volcanoes of the Auvergne natural park in France. This is the source of the natural mineral water Volvic. The water began to be sold in 1938 and in 1955 took the name of Societé des Eaux de Volvic. In 1969, the classic glass bottle was replaced by a container in PVC, one of the first examples of plastic bottles to be used in Europe to bottle spring water. In 1997, Volvic became the first food and beverage company to launch recyclable PET bottles on the market. From a recently realised new development results an 8l container of 100 per cent rPET. The whole bottling process of the Societé des Eaux de Volvic, part of the Danone group, undergoes careful controls. This starts from protecting the source to monitoring the natural environment until the moment when the bottled product is consumed. All of this is taken care of in minute detail, involving partners and suppli- ers, as with the recent investment in the purchase of a new bottling line for 8 l containers in 100% rPET. Ital- ian company SMI supplied the inte- grated Ecobloc Ergon system. The synergy between Volvic-Danone and SMI started from the design phase, every choice rotated around the necessity to obtain higher than aver- age bottle performance and qual- ity, safeguarding the final product, whilst ensuring eco-sustainability and operational efficiency of the whole production process. The bottling process starts with conducting the water through stain- less steel pipes from the source to the bottling plant. To protect the liquid from any external contamina- tion the Volvic bottling plant was designed according to advanced automation and security criteria. The bottles blown, filled and capped by the integrated Ecobloc Ergon system need to go through a long series of controls within the bottling line and every day the Volvic Quality labora- tory collects samples and carries out careful tests. 8 l home use, container-dispenser So that the natural mineral water arrives at the consumers’ table as pure as when it flows from the source, the container plays a vital role. Volvic’s high regard for environmen- tal issues led the French company to develop modern solutions for the recy- cling of PET. Volvic states that it was one of the first companies to use rPET to produce containers, slowly increas- ing the percentage until it hit 100% with the new 8 l bottle. This container features a square base, in the same style as the smaller Volvic bottles, to create a practical home use container- dispenser. Its shape, part of which is slightly tilted, ensures that the bottle can be easily positioned on a flat sur- face. Thanks to the special cap which is used as a tap the supply of the product is claimed to be convenient and easy. The new design of the maxi container was accurately reproduced by SMI which created the moulds that are installed on the integrated system, the Ecobloc Ergon HC EV. This system has been chosen to produce, fill and cap large size containers. The new investment was studied in detail, creating strong teamwork between the experts at Volvic and Danone and the designers at SMI. The complete production process was designed so that every step of the bottling is kept under constant control, because it is here that the water comes into contact with the external environment and is at a greater risk of contamination which would compromise the sensory, chemical, physical and microbiological properties. SMI provided the French technicians with one of their own stretch-blowers, so that they could carry out a series of blowing tests while accurately testing the preforms and bottles. These tests allowed them to regulate the “top load” resistance and the material distribution, a step at a time, developing a specially made preform with a specific shape. The biggest challenge, when using pre- forms made from recycled material is to guarantee the constant resistance of the bottle when it is being blown. FILLING Recognisable by the green cap, Volvic 0.5 l and 1.5 l bottles were the first in France to be produced with a type of plant-based plastic that is 20% vegeta- ble origin, favouring the use of renew- able materials.