PACKAGING / PALLETISING PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 03/24 www.petpla.net 42 Interview with Jérôme Neveu, Packaging Product Manager at Sidel “The variability of rPET resin is a challenge for the packaging industry” At the BrauBeviale trade fair 2023, Sidel presented an impressive aseptic extra-light mini-PET bottle on a rather small area of its booth. This was of course due to the all-encompassing theme of beer at the trade fair. PETplanet Insider spoke to Jérôme Neveu, Packaging & Moulds Product Manager at Sidel, about current requirements, technical innovations, and the market situation of the PET bottle. PETplanet: The PET bottle is already a very mature beverage packaging. Nevertheless, there are always new challenges for it. In addition to design trends, material savings and recycling, many other aspects must be considered. How do you approach developing a new bottle in general? Jérôme Neveu: Many current PET packaging developments are driven by consumer trends, and the industry needs to respond to both an increased expectation of eco-friendly packaging as well as having a bottle that stands out on the shelf to differentiate its brand. We support the industry by designing distinctive and appealing bottles that achieve high sustainability credentials and which also comply with regulations such as the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. Packaging circularity and reducing greenhouse gas emissions are both at the centre of our innovation’s roadmap. The 3R approach – reduce, recycle, reuse – underpins the development of our solutions. Firstly, reduction of raw material and fossil fuel use and secondly, supporting manufacturers to increase use of reusable and recyclable bottles. In conjunction, we strive to offer packaging formats that are also efficiently made, saving costs and lowering energy consumption. We also consider packaging logistics, carefully selecting the primary, secondary and tertiary packaging options to ensure final product remains undamaged when it reaches the supermarket shelves. PETplanet: When you look back over the past few years, which parameters were particularly decisive for a bottle design and why? Jérôme Neveu: There is no doubt that sustainability has been the driving force behind bottle design in recent years, not least because of new packaging regulations such as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation and Single-Use Plastic (SUP) Directive, which have had a huge impact on the sustainability practices of the packaging manufacturing industry. At Sidel, we’ve introduced specific solutions to help beverage manufacturers reach their sustainability goals. For example, our advanced heating and blowing techniques have enabled bottle lightweighting and the use of rPET resin. Innovative mould technologies and dedicated bottle design has assisted manufacturers to utilise a high-end bottle made from 100 per cent rPET and our experts have also supported producers to embrace returnable PET and glass bottles. Tethered caps have also become an industry staple as a result of the SUP directive, and we’re supporting beverby Heike Fischer
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