Amcor Rigid Plastics, the world’s leading producer of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packaging, is ready to unseat glass as the dominant material in 24oz wide mouth food containers. The industry leader in hot fill technology sees major market opportunities for its newly introduced 24oz round, wide mouth PET jar for the food industry. The stock hot fill container is a lightweight replacement for glass for pasta sauces, apple sauce, salsas, jams and jellies, and other food products filled at temperatures up to 205 F.
Conversion from glass to PET not only improves a brand owner’s environmental stance but its market position with consumers as well. Users, particularly families with children, will now be able to enjoy the consumer-friendly benefits of PET including lightweight, easy opening, and much improved product evacuation. Also high on the list of key features is the unbreakable design, transparency, and the environmental benefits of a lightweight and recyclable jar.
“Amcor has taken wide mouth, hot fill containers to a new level by combining our round wall design and novel blow-trim technology to create a glass-like PET container that has all the desirable consumer advantages,” according to Ron McFarlane, Amcor principal engineer. The conversion to PET has equally impressive cost benefits for brand owners and contract packers. Reduced weight results in lower transportation costs and less breakage means more efficient inline production and handling.
Amcor’s Performance Widemouth (PWM) technology delivers a unique panel-less design. The bottle’s four horizontal ribs and its stiff walls resist the vacuum as the product cools, therefore maintaining bottle shape, according to McFarlane. The round 63-mm jar weighs just 51 grams and mimics the appearance of glass.
Another key feature is Amcor’s patented blow-trim technology which ensures consistent finish dimensions, optimum closure performance, and sealing integrity. The enhanced blow-trim process gives wide mouth jars a flatter, smoother, and wider surface that maintains good fit and seal integrity, says McFarlane.
The stock round jars are commercially available with the option of oxygen barrier offerings. Amcor expects pasta sauce to be the first hot fill application to hit store shelves later this year.
