PETpla.net Insider 12 / 2020

TOP TALK PETplanet Insider Vol. 21 No. 12/20 www.petpla.net 10 “The role of packaging has never been more vital” by Gabriele Kosmehl In times of rapidly changing habits, packaging manufacturers must react particularly quickly and flexibly. In our Top Talk, Eric Roegner, President of Amcor Rigid Packaging, explains what impact the pandemic is having on consumer behaviour and what role PET plays in it, and how they helped a distillery to switch from filling spirits in glass to disinfectants in PET - in just 24 hours. PETplanet: Earlier this year, you published the insights you have gained during the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the findings deals with chang- ing consumer behaviour, including the shift in packaging formats. Can you briefly explain the changes which have had a particular impact on PET packaging? Eric Roegner: During the Covid- 19 pandemic, there have been clear shifts in shopping practices, product demand, and channel distribution. Despite these changing consumer patterns, the role of packaging has never been more vital, enabling the safe delivery of food, beverages, healthcare products, and home and personal care items including clean- ing supplies, hand sanitiser and other essentials. PET containers are light- weight, safe and often more sustain- able than aluminium cans, cartons, and glass containers. Hygiene has also emerged as an important safety concern during the pandemic. Capped and sealed PET bottles keep bever- ages protected from pathogens like viruses and bacteria. They are also sealed to combat contamination and re-sealable for ongoing protection. “Covid-19 is re-shaping consumer priorities” We know from industry research that Covid-19 is re-shaping con- sumer priorities. Consumers have an increased focus on preventative health, cooking at home, ecommerce, buying in bulk, and sustainability. All these shifts have implications to product demand as well as how those products are packaged. We’ve seen ecommerce growth accelerate during the pandemic. A McKinsey & Co. report notes that sales in this channel will see a sus- tained post-crisis increase. As a result, the bottles and jars produced for the ecommerce supply chain must function accordingly – no leaks, breaks, or dents. Since consum- ers will not tolerate a poor unboxing experience, an opportunity for PET packaging has emerged. PET bot- tles and jars stand up to the rigors of the ecommerce channel, provid- ing benefits such as lighter weight, reduced carbon footprint, reduced freight costs, breakage and safety advantages, and easy handling and opening. The Covid-19 outbreak has also caused a stark shift in the products that consumer demand. For exam- ple, earlier this year, Multi-Channel Merchant reported that demand for hand sanitiser skyrocketed more than 800 per cent. This demand created an opportunity for hundreds of U.S. distilleries and wineries to rapidly transform their operations. Amcor jumped in to assist current customers from the spirits, home, and personal care segments with their bottling needs. Our teams also supported smaller distilleries as they activated locally. Shifting from wine or spirits to hand sanitiser requires adjustments to the entire opera- tion including a necessary shift in the packaging format, typically from glass to PET bottles. PETplanet: How exactly has Amcor been able to support its clients with these changes? Eric Roegner: Throughout North America, we played a key role in ena- bling the availability of hand sanitiser. At the local level, producing and pack- aging hand sanitiser is manual and requires all hands on deck. Distilleries were accustomed to using glass pack- aging for its spirits products. It’s not a secret that glass bottles can break, are heavy and often more expensive to transport, and not easy to recycle. PET, however, won’t shatter – so no breaking bottle will shut the line down to remove glass contamination or to prevent an injury. In addition, accord- ing to Amcor’s Asset Lifecycle Analy- sis, PET bottles often have a lower carbon footprint than alterative glass bottles. We worked closely with one of our customers, Michigan-based Ugly Dog Distillery, one of the oldest craft distilleries in the U.S., which shifted its production facilities from spirits to hand sanitiser. In less than 24 hours, our teams were getting Ugly Dog the bottles it needed – and helping to enable some virus prevention for healthcare workers and the commu- nity at large. Eric Roegner, President of Amcor Rigid Packaging