The response from bottlers to the four P.E.T. Engineering projects presented at BrauBeviale 2014 in Nuremberg from the 11th to the 13th of November proposing PET as a valid alternative to the usual materials used for premium water, beer and milk bottling was first-rate.Twins, Hero, Diva and Valley - created to enhance PET's image with research into accessories such as labels, caps and over-packaging - were greeted with great interest by those working in the sector thanks to their ability to combine attractive appearance, light weight, unbreakability and, above all, affordability.
Confirming what could now be referred to as a trend, i.e. PET's breakthrough into spheres which once denied it, P.E.T. Engineering was awarded the World Beverage Innovation Award for Devin – Crystal Line in the Best bottle in PET category. The comment which accompanied the award was: "Beautifully designed and engineered bottle that looks like premium glass. The design delivers super premium appeal, taking PET into new territories."
Devin - Crystal Line, developed jointly with Retal, Novapet and a label designed by Design Board International, was also one of the finalists at the Luxury Packaging Awards in the Drinks Primary pack category, the only PET bottle among glass bottles for premium products.
Among the projects presented at BrauBeviale we had Diva, in the 0.75l format, developed in response to the needs of bottlers of still and sparkling water looking for lightweight and affordable packaging without, however, giving up any of the elegance and transparency of glass. The use of Novapet's Glasstar resin, the aluminium cap TALOG from closurelogic , most commonly used for Ho.re.ca sector glass bottles, and its transparent label added a touch of style to a bottle inspired by drops of water and difficult to be distinguished from glass bottles.
Twins, the P.E.T. Engineering proposal for small beer bottles in a minimalist but distinctive shape, brown colour, champagne base and crown cap is an ideal alternative to glass and could easily be manufactured in bottling plants. The bi-pack contains two bottles each of which has a different design: a hop and an ear of wheat.
The decoration was applied through the direct printing technology of Till GmbH, an effect which resembles the screen printing methods commonly used for glass bottles. This Direct printing also makes it possible to print a different decoration on each individual bottle making it the ideal technology for a limited series.
On the subject of the projects presented, Elisa Zanellato, P.E.T Engineering's Marketing & Communication Manager, maintains that "creating coherent product systems rather than individual shapes can contribute to reconfiguring perceptions of PET bottles in the minds of bottlers and end consumers. It is thanks to its partnerships with other companies working in the production chain that we count on being able to take PET to new sectors and progressively widen its spheres of use".
