PACKAGING / PALLETISING PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 03/24 www.petpla.net 43 age manufacturers to make sure they are ready for the switch in July 2024. However, alongside an increased demand for the sustainability, sales of high-end products have rocketed, particularly in the sensitive juices, teas and flavoured drinks market, and bottle design has had to adapt to stand out in one of the fastest growing and competitive beverage segments. So in Sidel we have responded by creating dedicated solutions that combine the highest eco credentials with an appealing drinking experience, such as our 1Skin concept. PETplanet: Sidel offers a wide range of PET bottle packaging. From still to carbonated beverages, from sensitive to hot-filled products, also for non-food applications such as household or cosmetics. Sidel has developed two new sustainable PET bottle designs for beverages, StarLite R and 1Skin. Can you tell us more about these two bottles? Jérôme Neveu: StarLite R and 1Skin are a result of our continuous packaging optimisation programme and both bottles are designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while offering new marketing opportunities and high production performance for manufacturers. StarLite R for carbonated soft drinks (CSD) is a 100% rPET bottle featuring packaging circularity and ultimate packaging quality. This solution offers greater protection against deformation, increased resistance to bursting and optimum stability, thereby ensuring a transition to rPET bottles with no fear. It leverages improved process technology including an advanced mould base profile and stretch rod end design. StarLite R CSD also utilises an ultra-efficient bottle base cooling method with innovative dual external and internal cooling to ensure a perfect shape. StarLite R CSD can be easily installed on existing production lines and adapted to fit current bottle designs as it is compatible with Sidel’s signature blow moulders, EvoBlow, Universal and Series 2 and is suitable for high-speed productions. The 1Skin concept is a breakthrough both in sustainability and in its streamlined design to drive sales of high-end products within the sensitive juices, teas and flavoured drinks market. It features comfortable pouring and drinking thanks to an ergonomic grip and attached cap lock feature to keep the open bottle top away from the consumer’s face. This bottle provides a minimalist, premium, label-free design with multiple font and texture options and attractive natural light and shadow play with the bottle transparency. QR or bar codes can be printed on the bottle closure to provide information to consumers or enable individual unit sales. Combining a tethered cap and a label-free bottle design, 1Skin can immediately enter the recycling stream with no need to separate additional raw materials such as ink, glue, labels or sleeves. We can add the 1Skin solution into new equipment or add it to existing lines using our dedicated line conversion services. PETplanet: In which applications do you see growth opportunities for the PET bottle and where? Jérôme Neveu: The use of recycled PET content in packaging has increased, driven by regulations across the world and brands’ commitment to packaging circularity. It’s clear that the market for rPET is evolving as more beverage and food manufacturers look to embrace a sustainable material that is compatible with their existing manufacturing equipment. For sure, combining lightweight and recycled PET is the fastest way for brands to reach carbon neutrality. Using our deep understanding of recycled PET resin characteristics, its variability and its impact on bottle production, we’re continuing to innovate and find more breakthrough solutions for rPET bottle production so we can achieve consistent production performance and bottle quality with rPET. Our packaging optimisation services for bottle weight reduction help to significantly offset rPET resin costs. On top, in June last year, we launched our RePETable offer, the 360° one-stop shop for recycled PET, it supports on one hand to secure bottle production efficiency and quality whatever the rPET percentage, and on the other hand it supports the industry in developing design for recycling packaging. With the RePETable offer, we’re committed to creating a virtuous closed-loop process for foodgrade rPET bottles which will help grow the market for recycled PET further in the future. PETplanet: What does the future PET bottle look like for you? Where do you see challenges for your customers? How does Sidel support its customers with additional services? Jérôme Neveu: The main trend for PET is to increase its circularity this is why there is a growing desire to use recycled PET in bottle production. The variability of rPET resin is a challenge for the packaging industry, due to both the seasonality of products entering the recycling stream and the vast range of suppliers. The different PET collection models mean that postconsumer PET material bales will vary from region-to-region and the recycling process and equipment used will also influence PET resin. The varying characteristics for rPET resin could lead to a narrower process window and a lower bottle quality, especially when it comes to carbonated beverages. In addition to common CSD bottle manufacturing challenges such as stress cracking, roll out and bursting during blowing, a higher temperature may also be required to process rPET bottles. Consequently, packaging manufacturers can experience reduced control over rPET material stretching and distribution in the bottle-making process. However, with our deep understanding of recycled PET resin characteristics, its variability, and its impact on bottle production, we developed solutions for bottle manufacturing equipment to have a process that address rPET characteristics. This is part of our RePETable offer that includes machine upgrades and dedicated packaging solutions such as StarLite R which uses leading technologies to ensure efficient rPET bottle production by restoring a much wider process window. Establishing a virtuous closed-loop process for food-grade rPET bottles also means to design the primary packaging with the view of making it easily recyclable. Through our RePETable offer we also aim to support robust primary packaging circularity by helping the market innovate with new materials for primary packaging (closures, sleeves, glues, labels, additives and colouring…) while ensuring they are designed-for-recycling. For this we leverage a unique asset, our small-scale PET recycling pilot line that recreates every step in the recycling process. PETplanet: Thank you so much Mr Neveu. www.sidel.com
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