PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2021

PACKAGING / PALLETISING PETplanet Insider Vol. 22 No. 09/21 www.petpla.net 29 Environment protection combined with product protection Recycle – Regenerate – Reuse The growing consumers’ awareness towards the problems of the ecosystem in which we live in fl uence the activity of the companies that prefer the use of sustainable packag- ing, such as rPET and cutting-edge technical solutions, in order to save energy and reduce the production environmental impact. Design of sustainable containers Today all the main food and bever- age manufacturers aim at promoting sustainable lifestyles in compliance with circular economy and support the importance of the responsible use of resources and recycle. Their commit- ment starts from the use of PET plastics: a 100% recyclable and regenerable material. Thanks to its advanced CAD center for 3D design, SMI supports com- panies in the design and graphic realisa- tion of a wide range of 100% recyclable PET containers, featuring high quality and lightweight in order to save energy and material. Green solutions for the primary packaging The wide range of SMI rotary stretch-blow moulders from EBS Ergon range is able manufacturing PET or rPET containers of different shapes and capacities from 0.10l up to 10l. SMI says that the advantages of these machines are further enhanced in terms of space, energy and cost saving, when the blower is combined with a fi ller and a capper, which allows companies, actively involved in the environmental protection, to bottle their products in 100% recy- clable, sustainable, light, unbreakable and safe containers with a high level of hygiene and suitable for the food and beverage storage. A need to preserve product qual- ity and protect the environment led for example Société des Eaux de Volvic to invest in SMI’s Ecobloc Ergon integrated system for stretch-blow moulding, fi lling and capping 8l rPET containers. The new bottles are made from 100% recy- cled plastic and thus are 100% recy- clable: a result that has been possible thanks to a joint work between the spe- cialists at Danone and at SMI. Ecobloc Ergon HC, resulting from an intense activity of R&D, is claimed to stand ࢒ Circular economy-material savings ࢒ Clear PET packaging with a handle ࢒ Fast production changes ࢒ (QHUJ\ HIÀFLHQW H[WUXVLRQ BENCHMARK FOR BLOW MOULDING MACHINES Bekum Maschinenfabriken GmbH Phone: +49 (0)30 7490-0 • sales@bekum.de • www.bekum.com CONSUMER PACKAGING FOOD & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIAL PACKAGING PHARMA PET Handleware out for its compactness and fl exibility, making this solution suitable even for those who do not have large spaces in their production plants. The system does not need a rinser, nor conveyor between the fi ller or accumulation; this means bene fi ts in terms of space and costs. Primary packaging plays a vital role for Volvic, as it has to maintain the purity of the spring water and preserve the product quality until it is consumed. That’s the reason why environment protection is combined with product protection: bottles in fact go through a long series of controls during the whole bottling process, thanks to the integra- tion of sophisticated inspection systems, that, starting from the preforms, carry out a long series of checks to maintain the quality and purity of the spring water and prevent any non-compli- ance issues or contamination. Solutions for tethered caps The tethered caps, that stay attached to the bottle after having been opened, will become an object of everyday use for European consum- ers from 2024, when 2019/904 directive will enter into force. The EU directive estab- lishes the minimum recyclate percent- age in plastic bev- erage bottles (25% starting from 2025 and 30% starting from 2030) and states that the caps of PET bottles have to be attached to the container, so that they can be recycled together with the bottle, thus avoiding they end up as waste in the environ- ment. SMI, aware of the challenges posed by this directive to beverage man- ufacturers, offers solutions for producing containers with a percentage of recycled PET in compliance with 2019/904 and supports customers in order to evaluate the right tethered cap solution. www.smigroup.it