FEATURE
PET Bottles packaging solutions bringing new marketing experience in the Dairy industry
Marketing boost In addition to having less impact on the environment , PET ’ s transparency allows consumers to see the product , which can be appealing , especially for visually appealing dairy drinks offering a great marketing boost to the products . They can also be molded into various shapes and sizes , offering flexibility for branding and marketing .
Flavor Changes and Shelf-Life of Pet Bottled Ultrapasteurized Milk study by Ohio State University found that ultrapasteurized milk packaged in PET bottles has a shelf life of more than 60 days and gives more flexibility for production , storage , distribution and marketing .
By Zablon Oyugi
Despite the overwhelming increase use of Polyethylene terephthalate ( PET ), a polyester plastic as packaging materials for beverages , dairy industry , especially in developing nations , still uses traditional packaging solution like cartons or HDPE bottles which are of low quality and marketing advantage .
In fact , according to the data extracted from Euromonitor International ( London , England ), in the beverage industry , the PET bottle accounts for 67 % of the market share between water , carbonated soft drinks , energy drinks , tea , and coffee . This is due to its excellent transparency , light weight , gas and water barrier properties , impact strength , UV resistance , and unbreakability ( compared to a glass bottle ).
However , acting in a competitive marketplace , typically impacted by low margins , liquid dairy manufacturers are now switching to innovations to achieve product differentiation and a sustainable business .
By embracing PET bottles , the manufacturers stand to benefit from increased market opportunities while leveraging a cost-effective and flexible production .
A 2010 study by the United Kingdom on being 100 % recyclable , the plastic bottles provides an excellent barrier to oxygen , helping to control the properties of the liquid , as well as ensuring shelf life without the need for aluminum foil , making it a
more sustainable option than paper milk cartons . In addition , PET is the lowest cost plastic on the market , ensuring in the end : financial and environmental sustainability , and food safety .
Environmentally friendly choice In a review on PET ) Bottle-to-Bottle Recycling for the Beverage Industry published in 2022 by the US-based National Center for Biotechnology Information , PET bottle has good barrier properties as its single-layer , mono-material composition allows it to be more easily recycled .
Compared to glass , the PET bottles are lightweight ( making them easy for consumers to handle ) and has a lower carbon footprint in production and transportation .
With modern advancements to decontamination processes in the recycling of post-consumer recycled PET , it has become a safe material for reuse as beverage packaging and especially for liquid dairy industry .
Compared with cartons , for instance , milk carton is made up of approximately 75 % paper , 20 % plastic and 5 % aluminum .
As a result , its recycling process ends up being more difficult , and a large amount of water is used for its treatment and recycling . The use of paper has also been associated with deforestation and consequently greater CO2 pollution in the environment .
Product safety According to Sidel , a leading provider of equipment and services solutions for packaging beverage , food , home and personal care products in PET , the bottles can be fitted with resealable caps , ensuring product freshness after opening .
And because they are less likely to shatter as compared to glass , transporting and handling them becomes easy .
In this , PET offers barrier solutions ensuring product safety along the supply chain by protecting liquid milk products that are highly affected by light and oxygen from spoiling . When choosing PET bottles for dairy products , it is advisable to consider factors like the product ’ s characteristics , intended shelf life , packaging design , and consumer preferences .
Adoption and global market size of PET bottles The adoption of PET bottles in the liquid dairy products packaging started in Europe about 20 years ago and has been deployed worldwide for raw milk , UHT milk , flavoured milk , enriched milk and drinking yoghurt among other dairybased beverages . In Africa , the first bottleto-bottle PET recycling plant was opened in Wadeville , Johannesburg , South Africa , in 2015 by the largest PET bottle recycler in South Africa , Extrupet .
Polyoak Packaging and the Circular Plastics Economy The establishment of Extrupet has since opened ways for other manufacturers cashing in on the promulgated Section 18 amendment to the National Environmental Management : Waste Act that requires packaging producers among other players to comply with stipulated annual targets
16 | November - December 2023