No. 05 2023 www.petpla.net D 51178; ISSN: 1438-9452 22 . 05 . 23 PETplanet is read in more than 140 countries MAGAZ I NE FOR BOT T L E R S AND BOT T L E - MAK E R S IN THE AMER ICAS, AS IA, EUROPE AND AL L AROUND THE PLANET MARKETsurvey Suppliers of preform & SBM moulds Page 27 MOULD MAKING Page 14
The all-new PET-LINE comes with a variety of advantages to maximize output and minimize costs: • Maximum compatibility with legacy molds and PMC • Shortest cycle times for increased output • Lowest level of energy consumption to minimize the ecological footprint • Improved 100 % rPET processing to enable the circular economy • New control unit including Smart Operation to ensure easy, fast and safe start-up and production • Available with 3000, 4000 and 5000 kN clamping force More details on www.netstal.com FLIPPING THE WORLD OF PET UPSIDE DOWN AND EVEN SIDEWAYS THE ALLNEW PETLINE WITH SIDE ENTRY. SCAN ME
No. 05 2023 www.petpla.net D 51178; ISSN: 1438-9452 22 . 05 . 23 PETplanet is read in more than 140 countries MAGAZ I NE FOR BOT T L E R S AND BOT T L E - MAK E R S IN THE AMER ICAS, AS IA, EUROPE AND AL L AROUND THE PLANET MARKETsurvey Suppliers of preform & SBM moulds Page 27 MOULD MAKING Page 14
We think about your caps, so you can think of everything else. www.corvaglia.com
imprint EDITORIAL PUBLISHER Alexander Büchler, Managing Director HEAD OFFICE heidelberg business media GmbH Hubweg 15 74939 Zuzenhausen, Germany phone: +49 6221-65108-0 fax: +49 6221-65108-28 info@petpla.net EDITORIAL Kay Barton Heike Fischer Gabriele Kosmehl Michael Maruschke Ruari McCallion Anthony Withers WikiPETia. info petplanet@petpla.net MEDIA CONSULTANTS Martina Hirschmann hirschmann@petpla.net Johann Lange-Brock lange-brock@petpla.net phone: +49 6221-65108-0 fax: +49 6221-65108-28 LAYOUT AND PREPRESS EXPRIM Werbeagentur | exprim.de Matthias Gaumann READER SERVICES reader@petpla.net PRINT Chroma Druck Eine Unternehmung der Limberg-Druck GmbH Danziger Platz 6 67059 Ludwigshafen, Germany WWW www.hbmedia.net | www.petpla.net PETplanet Insider ISSN 1438-9459 is published 10 times a year. This publication is sent to qualified subscribers (1-year subscription 149 EUR, 2-year subscription 289 EUR, Young professionals’ subscription 99 EUR. Magazines will be dispatched to you by airmail). Not to be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. Note: The fact that product names may not be identified as trademarks is not an indication that such names are not registered trademarks. 3 PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 05/23 www.petpla.net Dear readers, In Germany, there is a deposit of €0.25 on disposable PET bottles, so it is little wonder that over 98% of them are returned. Bottle return machines are located in supermarkets. Now, the Schwarz Group with its 4,000 supermarket branches has put its money where its mouth is and published its own life cycle assessment study on their rPET bottles. The Group recycles the returns into 100% rPET bottles that come in clear, green and blue colours. For years, their portfolio has included five bottling plants, two preform facilities, one of which produces caps, and two recycling sites in Germany. Following the latest expansion of their recycling plant near Aachen, the Schwarz Group can now recycle 100% of its 2.3 billion bottles using its own bottle-to-bottle material. As a leading advertising partner, the company was able to persuade the well-known presenter of the “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” television programme Günther Jauch to explain the environmental benefits of disposable PET bottles compared to reusable glass /PET containers to the end-consumer. Videos on the https://diekreislaufflasche.de website are well worth watching also for the non-German speaking PET enthusiast. On average, PET bottles in Germany have a rPET content of over 44.8%. According to Coca-Cola, their own proportion is slightly higher at 52.5% (both are 2021 figures). However, of the high return rate of 98% only around 44% of rPET for bottles is produced during recycling outside the Schwarz Group, with the rest going into fibre, foil or thermal recycling. This means there is a lack of bottleto-bottle material for higher rPET content on the market. And so Tilmann Rothhammer, a management board member of the Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Company in Germany, argued in WiWo [‘Business Week’] on May 1, only two weeks after the launch of Günther Jauch’s promotional campaign, that “if a bottle is to become a bottle again then beverage producers must be allowed to purchase recycled bottle material at a preferential rate” and that “we want a pre-emptive strike on recycled disposable deposit PET bottles”. The short amount of time between the response and the use of the term “pre-emptive strike”, borrowed from language used by the military and police, suggests that the Schwarz Group took Coca-Cola by surprise with its Günther Jauch promotional campaign. Sometimes, the mid-tier sector operates faster than international multinationals. Yours Alexander Büchler (Sources: Life Cycle Assessment Study MEG – The Schwarz Group 2023; Coca-Cola Sustainability Report 2021; PET Forum 2022 and WiWo, [‘Business Week’] 1 May 2023).
PETcontents 4 PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 05/23 www.petpla.net 05/2023 Page 20 MATERIALS / RECYCLING 10 PPWD: Reality-check 12 Study on environmental benefits of a PET material cycle for single-use bottles - Consistent circulation management of PET bottles can save 60,000 t of CO2 in Germany alone MOULD MAKING 14 XpBottle, dynamic bottle’s capacity - Designing PET bottles and blow moulds to improve the shelf-life through the filling process 18 200-fold hot collaboration - MHT technology used in ASB Nissei single-stage process 19 Even tighter tolerances than for bottle preforms 20 The easy solution - Swiss made tethered closure 22 “The hot runner is the heart and artery system of the mould” - Saving money and reducing CO2 emissions through hot runner refurbishment BOTTLE MAKING 25 Injection Stretch Blow Molding Machines - Stretch Blow Molding, part 15 30 Complex process made simple - Flexible production with faster neck changes on the stretch blow moulder 32 Highspeed bottle design - Digital bottle designer as automated web application MARKET SURVEY 27 Suppliers of preform & SBM moulds BOTTLING / FILLING 34 Keeping natural effervescence PREFORM PRODUCTION 36 The PET material dryer - an often unrecognised key point for economical preform production TRADE SHOW REVIEW 39 “The demand to recover recyclables from waste is at a record high” - Tomra Recycling Sorting hosts event to celebrate the extension of its test facilities in Germany 40 Icis PET Value Chain Conference 2023 BUYER’S GUIDE 48 Get listed! INSIDE TRACK 3 Editorial 4 Contents 6 News 43 Products 45 PET bottles for home + personal care 46 PET bottles for beverage + liquid food 47 Patents 54 Outer Planet MOULD MAKING Page 32 Page 34
yellow.agency T OTA LLY SW I S S. OUR INJEC TION MOULDS FOR PET AND PAC FEATURE ACCOMPLISHED, TRADITIONAL SWISS CRAFTSMANSHIP. OT TO-HOFSTET TER.SWISS A FAMILY OWNED SWISS COMPANY.
PETnews 6 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 05/23 www.petpla.net Sidel guides Niche Cocoa Industry Ltd’s move into aseptic beverage production in Ghana Niche Cocoa Industry Ltd, Ghana’s largest fully integrated cocoa processor, has successfully installed its first-ever aseptic line through Sidel. The line marks the company’s first venture into milk-based products in PET, with the assistance of Sidel’s expertise in aseptic production. Having chosen PET for its 100% recyclability, affordability, food integrity, and lightweight properties, Niche Cocoa Industry Ltd opted for Sidel’s Predis aseptic dry preform sterilisation technology. Besides its ease of operation, Predis also reduces water usage and chemicals consumption, says Sidel. Since its launch, it has successfully decontaminated more than 120 billion bottles globally. Aseptic PET solution The 16,000 bph aseptic PET complete solution integrates Tetra Pak Processing Systems technologies and the Sidel Aseptic Combi Predis with dry preform and cap sterilisation systems, two units of Gebo OptiDry, a sleeve labeller, a VersaFilm Access shrink-wrapping system, and finally a stretch wrapper. Sidel also supplied its EIT (Efficiency Improvement Tool) data acquisition and plant intelligence system. It is widely used to support its beverage company customers in decreasing unplanned downtime, reducing waste and costs, and increasing factory output. www.sidel.com Alpek maintains dividend in difficult conditions Alpek S.A.B. de C.V., headquartered in San Pedro Garza García, Greater Monterrey, Mexico, is one of the largest PET and PTA producers in the Americas and is the sole producer of polypropylene and caprolactam in Mexico. The company’s two business segments are: Polyester (including PTA, PET, rPET and polyester fibres) and Plastics & Chemicals (PP, expandable styrenics, and other speciality and industrial chemicals). Alpek’s Q1 2023 report demonstrated that challenging conditions continue in the industry, including the consequences of stockbuilding during the Covid period. Total sales volumes were down five per cent in Q1 2023 compared with Q1 2022, from 1.216 million tonnes to 1.161 this year. Plastics and chemicals were down quite heavily, by 13% year-on-year (0.254 million tonnes to 0.222), although this segment has shown a recovery between Q4 2022 and Q1 2023 of two per cent, from 0.217mt. Production volumes were are higher than sales. Q1 2023 production was 1.381mt (down 9% from Q1 2022 and 11% from Q4). Polyester was down 8% year-on-year (1.172mt Q1 2023 from 1.277mt 2022) and 12% since Q4. Polyester revenues were the stronger of the two segments. Total year on year receipts declined 12%, from US$ 2,332 million to US$ 2,062m, but Polyester was down only 2%, from US$ 1,521m to US$ 1,490m. Q4 2022 showed an increase over the first 3 months of last year to Q1 2023 (US$ 1,630) but that was not maintained into Q1 2023. Plastics and chemicals fell more heavily, by 30% year on year and 2% quarter to quarter. Margins and EBITDA have also been affected but the Board declared a dividend of US$159 million. The company has reviewed its capital expenditure strategy and will be delaying some projects, while the current situation stabilises and consolidates. PET resin operations at Alpek’s Cooper River site near Charleston, South Carolina, have been shut down indefinitely. CEO Jorge Young reported that oil prices have stabilised at an average US$ 81/ bbl Brent Crude, down on Q4 2023. PP prices have increased in the USA, despite a disconnect in prices between the Americas and the Far East, with some recovery towards historical levels. www.alpek.com Retal Iberia gains ISO50001 energy certificate The ISO50001:2018 energy certificate has recently been awarded to Retal Iberia following an external audit. Quality Manager Xavi Mora says, “This international standard is a tool to support us improve on energy consumption by developing and implementing an energy management system. The aim of this certification is to for continual improvement when it comes to energy consumption and efficiency.” The process of gaining the certificate involved the whole of the Girona-based facility, with the production zone, offices, storehouses and all processes assessed. During the audit, different simulations were done to see what consumptions are the most important in the plant’s processes, giving an opportunity to identify improvement measures to increase efficiency. Successful audit This analysis was followed by an evaluat ion, wi th a str ict process of documentation, checks and improvements implemented on the actual plant system. Only once this was complete, the audit from the certification body could be granted. Mora adds, “Everybody is involved in this process; we all use energy, so everybody must know that they can contribute to reducing the energy consumption, from switching off the lights, changing the climatisation of the different areas, reaching more efficient production procedures or implementing new controls or even changing some equipment for new ones. To reach new goals, we all have to participate!” www.retalgroup.com
7 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 05/23 www.petpla.net Resilux expands PET preforms factory in Romania The Belgian plastic and preform bottle manufacturer Resilux plans to expand its factory in northern Bucharest, Romania. This was announced by the Belgian Luxembourg Romanian Moldovan Chamber of Commerce on the social media platform LinkedIn. The expansion plans by about 30% include the installation of a recycled PET (rPET) pellets production line and require an investment of under € 3mn. Resilux owns a plot of land of about 3.7 hectares in the northern parts of Bucharest, where it already operates a PET preforms production facility with a surface of about 10,000m2. The new hall will increase the total area of the factory to more than 13,000m2. The raw material for the rPET pellets will be brought from the same group’s units in Hungary. The Romanian factory Resilux Packaging South East Europe, with 55 employees, reported a turnover of €22.5mn in 2021, a historic peak, and a net loss of about € 630,000. Belgian producer Resilux was bought last year by Pascal Vanhalst ‘s family investment fund Quva in a deal that valued the company at € 471m. www.resilux.com Aptar Closures acquires majority stake of Gulf Closures, adding manufacturing capabilities in the Middle East Aptar Closures, a global player in dispensing closures and active material science solutions announced the acquisition of majority stake in Gulf Closures, a closure manufacturer for beverage products in Bahrain. With the acquisition, Aptar Closures will leverage its global business capabilities and Gulf Closures’ manufacturing expertise, regional network, and experienced team to better serve the company’s existing customers in the Middle East, while opening new market opportunities and strengthening its presence in the region. Gulf Closures employs approximately 60 people at its facility in Bahrain and holds ISO and FSSC certifications. Gulf Closures is a partner to several global and other major local beverage brands in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Levant, and Africa. “Aptar has been present in the Middle East since 2019 when the company opened a sales office in Dubai. This acquisition will further accelerate our strategy in the region, now with a local manufacturing footprint. We look forward to building on Gulf Closures’ capacity and expertise to better serve our current customers in the region and to open new market opportunities,” added Hedi Tlili, president of Aptar Closures. As recently announced, Aptar has realigned its segments to provide a specific focus on closures through the segment Aptar Closures, effective January 1, 2023. Aptar Closures leverages its closures expertise to continue to provide best-in-class service to its customers with innovative and sustainable solutions, while strengthening its market position and broadening the served markets with its technologies. www.aptar.com
8 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 05/23 www.petpla.net Erema Group ends financial year with significant increase in turnover The Erema Group GmbH closed the 2022/2023 financial year in March with around EUR 355 million in overall turnover. “With demand for recycled plastics remaining high, the past financial year brought many challenges that we needed to handle,” says Manfred Hackl, CEO of Erema. The challenges included persistent delays in the supply chain and unexpected supplier outages. Logistics and production processes had to be adapted several times as a result. The situation has improved significantly meantime as a result of these measures and more stable supply chains, says Erema. The production locations in Austria manufactured 270 extruders and delivered them to customers around the globe. Taking the whole group into consideration, this figure rises to 350 including the extruders from Plasmac, the Italian subsidiary. The recycled pellet production capacity of all extrusion systems delivered in financial year 2022/23 adds up to around 1.6 million t/a. On top of that there are around 130 additional components and modules such as filter systems and ReFresher anti-odour units. K’ 2022 saw the Erema Group launch seven new recycling systems and components. “For the first time, we brought all the companies in the group together on one stand, so we were able to provide an excellent overview of our wide range of products and services with the latest innovations as a one-stop-shop concept,” says Hackl. These included the new Intarema TVEplus DuaFil Compact recycling system and the EcoGentle plasticising unit, which was also newly developed. Thanks to their gentle polymer treatment and lower melt temperature, both extrusion innovations are claimed to deliver effective advantages in terms of the quality of the melt, recycled pellets, and final product, as well as energy efficiency in post-consumer and PET recycling applications. www.erema-group.com Berry: cost actions include the rationalising of facilities and labour While announcing the second quarter 2023 results, Tom Salmon, Chairman and CEO of Berry, indicated cost reductions: “Our business delivered solid second quarter and first half results with adjusted earnings per share growth of 4% and 7%, respectively. During the past several quarters, we have seen supply chain constraints continue to ease, prioritised structural cost improvements and continued our efforts to pivot our portfolio to high-value growth products across all of our businesses. Our cost actions include the rationalising of 15 facilities across the world, moving business to more efficient cost facilities, and other labour cost reductions from improved productivity. These cost savings initiatives are expected to provide annualised cost savings of $115 million and we expect to realise $70 million in fiscal 2023. These internal actions helped to offset a 6% volume decline driven by destocking and general market softness. We continued our focus on driving long-term value for our shareholders and repurchased $155 million of shares, or another 2.1% of shares outstanding, in the second quarter, while also paying our quarterly dividend. We believe our shares remain undervalued and our repurchases reflect our confidence in the outlook of our business, our long-term strategy, and the strength of our operating model and cash flows.” Salmon defined health, beauty and foodservice as key end markets that offer greater potential for differentiation and long-term growth. In addition, Berry indicated investments and engagement in emerging markets. In this way, the company aims to achieve long-term structural cost improvements while driving strategic initiatives. Berry says that the net sales decline is primarily attributed to a 6% volume decline, decreased selling prices due to the passthrough of lower resin costs, an unfavorable impact from foreign currency changes, and prior quarter divestiture sales. The volume decl ine is pr imar i ly at tr ibuted to general market softness and ongoing inventory destocking. The operating income decrease is primarily attributed to an unfavorable impact from the volume decline, an increase in business integration costs, an unfavorable impact from foreign currency changes, and an unfavorable impact from increased selling, general, and administrative expenses. These declines are partially offset by a $40 million favorable impact from price cost spread as a result of cost reduction and improved product mix. www.berryglobal.com Interpack 2023 final report Under the heading “Welcome Home”, Interpack trade trade fair welcomed visitors from all over the world in Düsseldorf, Germany from May 4-10. 2,807 exhibitors showcased their technologies and solutions to visitors from 155 countries. Altogether approx. 143,000 visitors travelled to Interpack, two thirds of them coming from abroad. Alongside many European countries, the largest visitor nations were India, Japan and the USA. Around 75% of visitors came from middle or top management. Current market developments were focused at the show. The need to automate, the will to act sustainably and changed consumption habits are all expressions of transformation. Interpack’s strategic orientation towards the four Hot Topics: Circular Economy, Resource Management, Digital Technologies and Product Safety found concrete expression in numerous developments. The trade fair, which has traditionally been a key cornerstone in the innovation cycle of the packaging industry and related process industries, also lived up to this claim this year. Top themes were also all facets of sustainability. Exhibitors presented highend technologies and holistic concepts that consider efficiency and sustainability along their entire production line. The next Interpack will be held in Düsseldorf from May 7 to 13, 2026. www.interpack.com
9 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 05/23 www.petpla.net % 2 * % &8 )( $ 7 7 9 '. :
MATERIALS / RECYCLING PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 05/23 www.petpla.net 10 PPWD: Reality-check by Heike Fischer The re-usable targets of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD) for the European countries are controversial. The EU countries are at a completely different infrastructural, technological and economic level. Consumer behaviour is also different. Many other factors have to be taken into account in order to be able to use reuse in a really meaningful way. Reusable doesn’t really make sense in every application, says Tobias Bielenstein, Public Affairs Sustainability Manager at Genossenschaft Deutscher Brunnen. PETplanet: On the German mineral water market there has been glass reuse as well as PET reuse for a long time. The word `single-use` is not popular in Germany as the recycling and return rate is around 99%, which is why the term `PET circular` is used. How did Germany manage to successfully set up this overall system? What special challenges did it face and how much time did it take? Bielenstein: Germany has a re-use tradition since many decades. The first deposits for re-use bottles were introduced at the beginning of last century. So, when the mandatory deposit for single-use beverage containers – which includes PET and glass-bottles as well as cans – was introduced in 2003, it was not necessary to explain to German consumers how to return containers with a deposit. In fact, our numbers show that around 50% of German consumers still believe today that all bottles with a deposit are re-use bottles – while the market share of reuse is only around 43% in the beverage market. This is also because returning a bottle with a deposit is very easy to consumers. No matter whether it is re-use or single-use, most RVMs (reverse-vending machines) are set-up at the POS and they will accept both types of bottles as well as crates. It is only the two big discounter-chains that don’t sell nor accept returning re-use bottles. Of course, there were challenges in operational terms when the DRS was introduced. This included set-up of RVMs and a clearing-mechanism and -institution for deposits. But this was solved after a short transition period. Today it is easy for consumers. And this is key in my view: no matter whether it is re-use or singleuse with a deposit – it must be easy and convenient to consumers to become a success. PETplanet: What exactly does the PPWD provide for and what problems arise specifically for the German system as a result of the targets set? Especially since Germany already has a higher value of recycled content than the EU demands. Bielenstein: The PPWR draft as well as the amendments discussed in the European Parliament are putting our successful re-use systems at risk and will lead to higher operational costs, which will weaken them in competition. The reason is that the commission has defined too specific requirements regarding the management of re-use systems. This poses a huge issue for existing and future re-use systems in Europe. There are many varieties among re-use systems. A re-use system for to-go-beverages is very different to a system of re-use bottles filled in an industrial production. The current draft does not reflect these differences. It would be more effective in regulatory terms if we would have a good framework and less detailed regulation in the PPWR to allow for effective governance and options for innovation for re-use systems. If this is not reflected, we will pledge for an exception of markets that exceed the goals of the regulation – like we do in Germany. But this is definitely only the second-best choice. PETplanet: Re-usable is a system - not just a package in itself. It is made up of the producers, the retailers and of course the consumer. What challenges do you see in introducing and implementing this in any EU country? Bielenstein: Re-use systems need to be simple and easy for consumers and effective for all other stakeholders involved. Therefore they have to build on consumer behaviour and the structure of retail in each country. And we all know these structures are very different from country to country within Europe. This is again a call for a strong regulatory framework and space for individual implementation in each country. Europe and EU are not about harmonisation in every details. In our view it is most important to be “united in diversity” – which should be also the guideline when it comes to re-use systems. PETplanet: Which SUP beverage applications make sense in which EU countries and why? Do you have any suggestions or assessments? Bielenstein: In Germany, most mineral water companies have a mix of re-use and single use packaging offers. This give brands space to be relevant to all consumers in all consumption situations. As an example: you might prefer a glass re-use bottle if you have guests at home for dinner, but you will go for a PET bottle whenever you are on the road or doing sports. Tobias Bielenstein, Public Affairs Sustainability Manager at Genossenschaft Deutscher Brunnen (Photo: Francois de Ribaucourt)
MATERIALS / RECYCLING PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 05/23 www.petpla.net 11 MATERIALS / RECYCLING 11 PETplanet: You are in regular contact with Brussels regarding the PPWD. What are the main criticisms you have of the directive? And what are your recommendations? Bielenstein: First: we are convinced that the regulation is the right approach. We welcome the current directive to become a regulation. We also support the goals of the regulation: all packaging should become recyclable and should be re-use whenever this makes sense. This means to be sustainable in environmental, social and economic terms. Our main criticism is the too detailed approach. This is not only the case regarding the governance of re-use systems. It is also e.g. that there are paragraphs regarding hygiene and food safety. No question: this hygiene and food safety is of highest importance. But the packaging regulation is the wrong place to regulate that. There are two more important things: re-use needs a transition period regarding recyclate rates. And PPWR needs to cover the return of re-use container in an appropriate way. PETplanet: What innovative & new types of packaging or materials do you see in the beverage packaging sector? Do you see reusable as an opportunity here? Bielenstein: Our next task is to rise the rPET share of our reusable bottles and to further reduce our carbon footprint on production and logistics of the re-use containers. Anything that’s helps to reach these goals is welcome. And: we should not limit ourself to beverages. PET is a wonderful material: we should further explore how to apply it for re-use packaging solution in other food- and non-foodpackaging whenever this makes sense in environmental terms. It is our job to share our learnings in the beverage sector to make this a success. www.gdb.de www.sacmi.com Product design Product development Product validation Industrial production plant Process & quality control On-site and start-up assistance After-sales and Customer service SACMI 4.0 THE COMPLETE CLOSURE, PREFORM AND CONTAINER SOLUTION FOR YOUR SMART FACTORY E N D L E S S I N N O V A T I O N S I N C E 1 9 1 9
MATERIALS / RECYCLING PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 05/23 www.petpla.net 12 Consistent circulation management of PET bottles can save 60,000 t of CO2 in Germany alone Study on environmental benefits of a PET material cycle for single-use bottles “In order to drive climate protection and the circular economy, the circulation management of single-use PET bottles should be improved,” says Ifeu study leader Benedikt Kauertz. According to the 2021 study, around 425,000 t of plastic are used in Germany for the production of single-use PET bottles. Through the deposit system, 97 per cent of this material can be collected and reprocessed. This recyclable material is already sorted and can even be reused as food packaging. For this reason, it is a sought-after product on the secondary plastics market – and not only for manufacturers of drinks bottles. This is also why it has not yet been possible to reuse all the PET for drinks bottles: around 55 per cent of recycled PET is bought by manufacturers of films, textiles and packaging for cleaning products or cosmetics, and it is used for these products. “When the premium PET comes out of single-use deposit bottle recycling loop and goes into these applications, it is usually lost to the circulation system for new PET bottles – with negative environmental effects,” explains Kauertz. The most important regulatory mechanism for positively assessing bottle circulation is therefore the retention of material. PET from single-use bottles: Nine reuses possible The study shows that the original primary PET is currently reused three times at most. In Germany, it usually ends up in waste incineration after that (“thermal recycling”). If all the PET from the recycling of single-use bottles was reused for drinks bottles, it could theoretically be reused nine times. This makes the amount of material needed in the bottle circulation loop significantly lower than in the other systems. “Closing the bottle circulation loop reduces the use of primary PET considerably. In 2021, manufacturers had to feed in 235,000 t of primary PET. In the closed bottle circulation loop, the use of primary PET would fall by more than 90% to 21,000 t,” says GVM Project Manager Nicolas Cayé. Consistent closure of the circulation loop by prioritising material use in the material stream could reduce the proportion of thermal recycling by 86% and the driftage of materials by 66%. In the scenario where the recyclable PET from deposit-scheme single-use drinks bottles is used as much as possible for new drinks bottles, CO2 emissions fall by 20 per cent or around 60,000 t/a. Here, the study considers the entire value creation chain including all secondary uses, and thus includes a broader system scope than the productrelated packaging life cycle assessments. The benefit of consistent circulation management therefore stands up robustly against methodological stipulations. About the study The study into the environmental potential of a prioritised material cycle for single-use PET bottles in Germany was carried out by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (Ifeu) in cooperation with GVM Gesellschaft für Verpackungsmarktforschung, and is a contribution to both scientific and political discussions. The client is Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Deutschland GmbH (CCEP DE). The final report has been available since March 2023. The study investigates what environmental effects an amended, priority materials circulation system has on the environmental record of the PET material cycle for drinks bottles, taking into account the material flow balance, material retention and bonding, and the greenhouse gas balance. Alongside observation of the current situation in 2021, the study also investigates scenarios for 2025. www.ifeu.de If the plastic brought onto the market in Germany as single-use PET bottles was completely reused for the manufacturing of these bottles, around 60,000 t of CO2 could be saved. Instead, too great a proportion of the foodgrade recyclable plastic leaves the single-use container deposit circulation loop for alternative uses and then quickly ends up in waste incineration. These are the findings of a study by Ifeu and the GVM Gesellschaft für Verpackungsmarktforschung [Association for packaging market research].
MATERIALS / RECYCLING PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 05/23 www.petpla.net 13 Working with us bears a risk RI VWDUWLQJ D ORQJ WHUP SURƓWDEOH UHODWLRQVKLS IRU \HDUV yellow.agency 3(7 SUHIRUP SURGXFWLRQ OLQHV HQJLQHHUHG E\ 2WWR 6\VWHPV URXWLQHO\ VHW LQGXVWU\ EHQFKPDUNV IRU SHUIRUPDQFH DYDLODELOLW\ HQHUJ\ HIƓFLHQF\ and lowmaintenance costs. This is because the consultants and engineers at Otto Systems meet your production challenge with open minds, decades of experience and deep knowledge about PET production processes and techniques to ensure high quality at the best possible price. That’s why they are able to plan and implement production systems that are uncompromisingly tailored to your needs, independently selecting the best components from experienced manufacturers to achieve your goals. &DOO RWWR V\VWHPV FRP
MOULD MAKING PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 05/23 www.petpla.net 14 Designing PET bottles and blow moulds to improve the shelf-life through the fi lling process XpBottle, dynamic bottle’s capacity CO2 retention becomes the top of the list when lightweighting a bottle. It has widely challenged the use of existing blow moulds with lighter preforms, PCR PET, and resins. From this new point of view, the filling process, in combination with the blow mould design, could help to achieve a lightweight bottle and a long shelf-life. In summary, both counterpressure and foaming are important factors to consider in the volumetric filling of carbonated beverages to ensure consistent quality and a pleasant consumer experience. As mentioned earlier, foaming can occur if the counterpressure is too low, adversely affecting the process. However, if it is too high, it can cause deformation problems or even the explosion of the PET container while the drink is being filled. Bottle lightweighting brings significant economic benefits but also a reduction in the physical performance of the containers, including the capacity to preserve the product until consumption. For example, the structural resistance is decreased by reducing the thickness of the walls, producing containers that are difficult for the consumer to handle once opened. The same occurs with the container’s ability to retain CO2 in the product. A correctly carbonated drink that has lost carbon dioxide gas when it reaches the consumer results in a poor consumption experience. Taking the filling process into account The research by Moldintec’s R&D+I team found that the bottle`s CO2 retention could be improved by taking the filling process into account in the container design, calculation formula and mould engineering. They created a dynamically variable bottle between the blowing machine and MOULD MAKING Counterpressure and foaming are two critical factors that must be considered in the volumetric filling of carbonated beverages, as they can affect the quality and stability of the final product. Without going into specific technical details, there are different types of filling machines. They generally work by measuring the drink volume that should be filled in each container. This is achieved using sensors that measure the amount of liquid that enters the container and stop filling once the desired amount is reached. Counterpressure is the pressure exerted on the container while filling the carbonated drink. It is important to maintain an adequate counterpressure to avoid loss of carbonation and thus minimise foam formation. Counterpressure is adjusted by regulating the filling speed and pressure in the beverage storage tank. If the counterpressure is too low, a more significant amount of foam may be generated in the container, which can affect the quality of the final product. Foaming is another essential factor in the filling of carbonated beverages. It refers to the formation of gas bubbles in the container during filling, which can cause stability problems in the final product. Excessive foam formation can result in a lower quality. Maintaining adequate counterpressure and regulating filling speed is vital to avoid foaming. In addition, specific filling techniques can be used to minimise foam formation, such as filling in multiple stages or using special nozzles.
MOULD MAKING 15 PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 filling-capping block capable of improving the performance of the PET container in retaining CO2 in the product by the expansion coming from the counterpressure. “We have worked on many other developments as strategic partners with Moldintec’s TechCentre in Sao Paulo on blow moulding technology. This project goes beyond the blowing process itself, and we are excited to collaborate with our suppliers to go that one step further. We want to know more about the possibilities of this new concept and verify that shelf-life improvement is possible. At Coca-Cola Andina Brazil, we’re working with Moldintec to validate this new technological concept in our bottling lines at the Duque de Caxias plant, RJ. It is our most modern facility with the fastest equipment. We trust that if we achieve the expected results, we can quickly implement them in other productive units. We know that it is a long journey conducting this R&D+I development, especially for a new technology company such as Moldintec. That’s why we are always here to help and it is a pleasure to test their inno-
MOULD MAKING PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 05/23 www.petpla.net 16 vations,” said Guilherme Magalhães, head of Coca-Cola Andina’s Packaging engineering team. Expansion - the essential factor The most common formula for defining a bottle’s capacity is “Brim-full capacity = Net content + Headspace.” This new approach challenges it by considering expansion an essential factor, especially for carbonated beverage packaging. Moldintec’s patent-pending new XpBottle integrates the expansion caused by the filling process itself into the calculation formula. This capacity increase integrates the new equation as a negative term with which Moldintec designs XpBottle. Something that has not been considered before in the basic equation for bottle capacity calculations, especially as a way to improve a particular attribute. Additionally, the term corresponding to headspace (HS) is no longer a value set by a position (distance from the TSS to the liquid) equivalent to a specific millilitre amount. The shape of that area and the transitions of PET thickness (inner side of the preform) play a predominant role in foam generation and minimising HS. The treatment that Moldintec gives HS is based on the minimum required by the filling equipment for a specific product and filling conditions. Factors inherent to the blowing mould and the packaging design are involved here. “When all these factors operate together, we face a bottle that dynamically changes, taking advantage of the filling process conditions in the bottling line. The deformation is projected and controlled by the blow mould itself. We have heard of overfilling or underfilling in the industry, changing a product’s net content for marketing or price reasons. But never from an engineering point of view as a resource capable of improving a physical attribute,” says D.I. Jorge Pucci, CSO and head of Moldintec’s R&D+I. He continues: “We want to integrate filling process information into the blowing stage to optimise the final packaging. The blow mould is a fixed tool during its life cycle now; our challenge is making it dynamic towards a preform weight change, materials, and filling conditions! Today, we work with discrete data taken from the filler. We trust that soon, we will be able to take advantage of the AI agents that equipment manufacturers are integrating into their machines to understand better how counterpressure, speed, and headspace parameters vary with each product. Why not consider adaptive moulds that adjust bottle capacity based on the packaged product and instantaneous filling parameters?” The collaboration of large bottlers allows running tests to be performed under industrial operating conditions, not just in the laboratory. The project is still in the development and operational testing phase at multiple locations. www.moldintec.com You can make 100 % clear preforms without additives Inquiries: marko.makinen@pramia.fi pramiaplastic.fi The world’s best rPET granulate from Finland
MOULD MAKING PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 05/23 www.petpla.net 18 MHT technology used in ASB Nissei single-stage process 200 times hot collaboration 128, 144 or even 192 preforms in a single shot. Everything in the drinks industry is geared towards high flow rates, and the two-stage procedure, where preforms are only later blown into bottles, has become established. But for special applications and moderate item quantities, the single-stage process also has its strengths. ASB Nissei and MHT have been working on this together for several years. in terms of size and weight so they can transport the preforms to their subsequent production stage. For this reason, they have a lower number of cavities than usual. Horizontal injection moulding machines dominate elsewhere in the PET sector but here, a vertical construction is used. This means that the cold half is already in the correct position for the subsequent process and the preforms can be demoulded using gravity. In the hot half, the filling of the cavities is effected not in the usual way but by using a lateral sprue bushing. The balancing of the hot runner therefore becomes more sophisticated so as to avoid crystallinity and other preform flaws. MHT builds its hot runners in-house and in 1998 was a sector pioneer for vertical moulds. Itself a pioneer since 1979 in the single-stage process, ASB Japan uses this experience for ambitious projects or its own capacity bottlenecks. Since 2012, the Indian subVisiting ASB India: Prince Rudra (Sales Manager MHT), Christian Wagner (CEO MHT) and Jérémie Cuny (Business Development Director MHT, from left) MOULD MAKING sidiary has also been placing orders with the mould specialist from Hesse in Germany. CEO Christian Wagner, Jérémie Cuny (Business Development Director) and Sales Manager Prince Rudra have already visited the site in Maharashtra. The single-stage procedure is especially suitable for applications with somewhat lower quantity requirements, for example in the food or cosmetics sector, and also for reusable PET bottles. www.mht-ag.de MHT Mold & Hotrunner Technology is well-known for its multi-cavity moulds and for pushing the cavity count just a little higher on each machine type. But since 2006, also almost 200 hot halves with up to 24 cavities have been created for one special customer: ASB Nissei. In the Japanese company’s singlestage procedure, the entire process from granulate to finished container takes place in one complete system which is also interesting regarding the energy consumption. The preforms are injection moulded, then immediately conditioned and stretch-blown into the final shape. The cold mould halves need to be easily movable MHT 24-drop hotrunner for production of single stage process bottles
MOULD MAKING PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 05/23 www.petpla.net 19 Even tighter tolerances than for bottle preforms Sipa has spent several years developing new injection mould tooling solutions for medical applications sector. A special cold-half core-centring technology that it developed for blood collection tubes (BCTs) is already used successfully at a leading global supplier of these critical and widely-used items. The solution Sipa developed is claimed to be unique in the industry and the subject of a patent application. The development makes it possible to adjust the core alignment from the front face of the cold half, in contrast to competing solutions that require access the back of the core plate. This makes any adjustments easier and faster to carry out during production. Time- and cost-saving core-centring feature is ideal for blood collection tube production Production of high-quality blood collection tubes demands that wall thickness around the circumference is within very tight tolerances. This can only be guaranteed by precise design and especially accurate production of the various elements in the injection mould. While such criteria also apply to more common PET products like bottle preforms, consistently high performance over long-term production is more difficult to ensure with BCTs. Why is this? There are two specific reasons. First, because BCTs have a diameter much smaller than regular preforms, the various components of the mould also have reduced dimensions. In the specific case of the cores, these obviously also have a small diameter, which means that their stiffness is lower than preform cores. As a result, they are more likely to flex under the pressure of the PET melt if the wave front during injection is not perfectly symmetrical. The situation is made more critical by the fact that injection pressures used in BCT moulding need to be higher than in preform production, due to the higher length: thickness ratios of the tubes. This obviously puts the mould components under greater stress, increasing the potential for deflection of the cores. The solution developed by Sipa is claimed to make it easier to fine-tune the positions of the cores, correcting any slightest deviation from the set value, and so enabling production of a product with optimal wall thickness. “Our solution is unique because it allows the processor to make adjustments to the mould while it is still in the machine, simply via access to the front face of the cold, moving half,” says a Sipa spokesperson “No disassembly is necessary, providing the user with a considerable advantage in time taken for the execution of the operations. “Obviously the task is also much simpler than in an MOULD MAKING adjustment operation requiring access to the back of the mould, where the mould, or at least part of it, has to be taken out of the injection moulding machine, dis-assembled, adjusted, reassembled, and then refitted to the machine.” www.sipasolutions.com
MOULD MAKING PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 05/23 www.petpla.net 20 Swiss made tethered closure The easy solution From 2024 onwards, all plastic caps have to remain connected to the single-use container, in accordance with the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive, 2019/904, Article 6. As a result, there are now numerous designs of tethered caps with different manufacturing processes on the market. PETplanet spoke to Manuel Büsser, CEO of EasyCap, about his multiple award-winning tethered cap solutions. PETplanet: EasyCap has won both the World Packaging Award and the German Packaging Award. What are the advantages for the consumer when using packaging with EasyCap? Büsser: From the very beginning, our primary goal was to develop a tethering system that not only complies with EU directives, but also puts the needs of consumers first. Our EasyCap solution gives the consumer the greatest possible freedom to open and close the cap with the usual sequence of movements. Another advantage is the freedom to drink that they have been accustomed to up to now. With our tethering solution, the cap is not in the face region during consumption. When the consumer opens a bottle with our EasyCap tethering, he naturally unscrews the cap from the mouth and lifts it off. No unaccustomed flipping over a hinge is necessary. Replacing the cap is also very easy, allowing the consumer to screw the cap back onto the muzzle as usual. With our EasyCap tethering, we assist consumers in easily setting the tethering band length that is most comfortable for them. Through haptic feedback, so-called “stop bridges” show the consumer the predefined band lengths. With all these intuitive functions and the continued natural drinking behaviour, we have been able to convince two independent expert jury groups and many consumers of our tethering solution. PETplanet: Why did you decide on this closure lasso design? What were the challenges in the development? Büsser: Before we started the development of our EasyCap tethering, we first researched the needs of consumers. The most important development goal for us was to develop a tethering that does not interfere with the consumer and does not require the consumer to relearn the already familiar movement sequences. To this end, we analysed the movement sequences learned from childhood for opening and closing a drinking bottle. The analysis showed that the most natural form of the opening process consists of unscrewing and lifting, and that the closing process consists of putting on and screwing down. To realise the two such simple movements in a tethering without adding another movement was a big challenge. The first prototypes were not very well accepted by consumers. The reason for this criticism was that the tethering band was much too short, which consumers found annoying because the cap scratched their face while drinking. After several iterations, we came up with our award-winning tethering solution, where the consumer decides what distance the cap should be from the mouth and thus from the face. Furthermore, our solution also prevents the consumer from tearing off the cap unintentionally. This is because we have observed that consumers who want to drink from bottles with a flip-top tethering cap tear off the cap immediately after opening it so that they can then drink effortlessly from the bottle. PETplanet: What advantages do closure producers have when they opt for EasyCap? Büsser: Our aim was to develop a tethering system that requires no or only minor adjustments to the existing cap design for most cap types. Therefore, it is possible to implement our EasyCap tethering with only minor investments in existing or new injection moulds. We have succeeded in doing this because we do not generate our tethering design with a slide mould, but introduce it subsequently by means of slitting. This also has the advantage that our customers can respond to consumer needs within a very short time and without costly modifications to the injection moulds. Manuel Büsser, CEO EasyCap With EasyCap tethering, consumers can set the tethering band length that is most comfortable for them. MOULD MAKING
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