April 2024 Blow Molding Blog
Looking for Blow Molding Consulting? Check out our Team. Click here.
April 8, 2024
Coca-Cola Implements Lightweight Initiative for its Small PET Bottles
Coca-Cola Implements Lightweight Initiative for its Small PET Bottles
Coca- Cola completely redesigned its small PET bottles in an effort to reduce weight and plastic usage. The initiative will reduce the company’s PET usage by 3 million tons by 2025. All of Coca Cola’s sparkling brands, Minute Maid Refreshments, and Minute Maid Agua Frescas will be redesigned for weight loss . As such, throughout 2024 all small PET bottles in 12 oz, 16.9 oz, and 20 oz will be reduced in weight from 21 g to 18.5 g. This of course includes Coca Cola’s trademark rPET 20 oz bottle which will also be switched to a new lightweight design. This would mark the first time since 2006 that the preform for Coca Cola’s trademark rPET 20 oz bottle has been changed. Bringing the new bottle designs to life required several process changes. The supplier’s preform equipment had to be re-tooled to produce the new 18.5 g preform design. Bottlers also had to invest in new molds and their existing blow molding equipment had to be retooled to produce the new molds for the new bottle designs. Highlighting the company’s approach, Alejandro Santamaria, senior director, Global Packaging Development & Innovation at The Coca-Cola Company said that “The secret was finding the right design features that allowed us to lightweight the bottle without compromising the quality of the drink.” he further mentioned that “The new bottles are optimized to reduce weak points in the bottle, preventing CO2 loss and retaining the bubbliness that we all know and love from our favorite drinks. We were able to find the sweet spot of functionality, while also still retaining the appealing shape of the bottle.” Learn more about this topic here.
April 22, 2024
CJ Biomaterials New High-Performance Compounds for Compostable Film Applications
CJ Biomaterials New High-Performance Compounds for Compostable Film Applications
CJ Biomaterials recently launched two new PHA- based compounds for blown, cast, and machine direction orientation film applications. The new compounds include PHACT™ CA1270P (clear) and PHACT™ CA1240PF (opaque). These new compounds mark a significant advancement in environmentally friendly packaging. Aside from environmental benefits the compounds also offer excellent performance. CJ Biomaterials worked closely with partners across the value chain to bring the new compounds to market. The compounds were synthesized by combining NatureWorks's Ingeo™ PLA with PHACT PHA. The combination resulted in two new compounds that are packed with performance and priced competitively. Testing the compounds revealed their almost perfectly balanced characteristics, the compounds strike an excellent balance between strength, stiffness, and tear as well as puncture resistance. The compounds demonstrate excellent durability for several packaging applications, and they are industrially compostable, with CA1240PF showing potential for at home composability. The new compounds provide a solution to plastic waste, and they could also enable food waste diversion away from landfill sites. This is a great way to decrease methane emissions from landfills, as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed that food waste in landfills contributes more methane emissions than any other type of waste. Learn more here.
© Copyright BHC Associates, Inc., 2020 - 2024. All rights reserved.
