PET Wine Bottle Gets Environmental Endorsement

The 75cl PET wine bottle from APPE has won a Silver Star in the Environment – Pack Optimisation category of the Institute of Packaging’s 2008 Starpack Awards. Starpack is the UK’s premier annual awards scheme recognising innovation in packaging design and technology.

The PET wine bottle was introduced into the UK in 2007 for leading brand Wolf Blass and for two of Sainsbury’s own label wines. It followed the successful launch of the bottle in Canada where it was welcomed for its reduced transportation costs, convenience and environmental benefits.

The bottle weighs just 54g compared to the typical weight of a same size glass bottle of between 350g to 600g. PET also matches glass as a 100% recyclable material and offers a considerably lower carbon foot print even when compared to glass wine bottles with the highest level of recycled content achievable. In addition, safety and convenience have been cited as major attributes. As the wine is shipped in bulk and filled in the UK, the bottle’s environmental impact is reduced even further.

The PET bottle echoes the design of the traditional glass bottle, reinforcing the premium image of the wine. It features a stipple base, which prevents leaks during filling caused by conveyor friction, and incorporates a screw top closure. It is filled on the same filling lines and at the same speed as glass bottles.

The PET wine bottle is one of many environmental initiatives from APPE. The company is also European leader in the recycling of PET containers with its pioneering technologies to produce SuperCycle™ (food grade) and Nu-Cycle™ (non-food grade) resins. The company’s specialist recycling plant in Beaune, France currently produces 25,000 tonnes of resin pellets from over 33,000 tonnes of post-consumer PET, saving around 700 million PET bottles from the waste stream. 17,000 tonnes of this material is SuperCycle™ material, creating excellent opportunities for the establishment of PET bottle to bottle recycling schemes. A further 10,000 tonnes of capacity will be added in 2009