Amcor Rigid Plastics has been named the winner of the beverage/non-alcoholic category in the AmeriStar Package Awards Competition, North America's most prestigious packaging award competition sponsored by the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP). Amcor captured the beverage/non-alcoholic award for the development of an ultra-lightweight, hot-fill polyethylene terephthalate (PET) container, designed exclusively for PepsiCo-Lipton's tea drink brand in Central America.The 500 ml package weighs only 22 grams and utilizes a 33 mm finish that features a 50% reduction in material over a traditional 38mm finish. The sleek leaf body panels aid in the vacuum while providing visual movement and a comfortable gripping surface for the consumer. Additional benefits of this package are substantial ecological savings, lower operational costs, and a significantly reduced carbon footprint.
The highly innovative 500 ml bottle sets a new benchmark for heat-set PET containers, enabling manufacturers to achieve aseptic filling packaging weights without the prohibitive investment, while offering a more eco-friendly option. Amcor's Latin America design team, based in Miramar, Fla., worked in partnership with PepsiCo-Lipton to develop the new container which gives regional consumers a lighter, more functional bottle. The new product was initially launched in El Salvador and has since been introduced in Mexico and other Central American regions.
The PepsiCo-Lipton container is an extension of Amcor's ultra-lightweight technology which was previously employed in a new sports beverage package in Latin America. "We are delighted to be recognized with an AmeriStar Award for our longstanding commitment to innovation," said Carlos Londono, design manager for Amcor Rigid Plastics. "We're thrilled that we have developed a game-changing package that is highly functional, provides long-term production savings, and delivers major sustainability benefits."
Compared to a standard 500 ml heat-set PET container weighing about 34 grams, the new bottle is just 22 grams, or approximately 30% lighter. The material reduction increases the bottle's recyclability and reduces the energy needed for its production, dramatically decreasing the package's environmental footprint. Greenhouse gas emissions are cut by 26%, energy use is reduced by 23%, and water consumption is decreased by 24%. The new container also results in a 26% reduction in the amount of waste that could potentially end up in a landfill.
