KHS and Martens Brewery slash CO2 emissions with rPET uptake

12 Aug 2020 --- Karlskrone beer will now be sold as a film-free Nature MultiPack of six redesigned 0.5 L recycled PET (rPET) bottles powered by KHS. FreshSafe PET, the patented KHS Plasmax coating process, provides optimum product protection and a long shelf life. The collaboration with Belgian partner Martens Brewery saves up to 90 percent in packaging with dots of adhesive instead of plastic film to form a stable yet easy-to-separate pack.

“The development of this eco-friendly packaging shows that with the commitment of all those involved, [environmentally] sustainable systems can be successfully established on the market,” says Edgar-George Petsche, Head of Market Zone Europe/CIS at KHS.

Martens fills its beverages in cans, glass bottles and, in this case, rPET, on several KHS machines. The brewery invested in an InnoPET Blomax stretch blow molder and an InnoPET Plasmax that coats the insides of the bottles with a wafer-thin film of chemically pure glass. The existing line has now been extended by a Nature MultiPack machine.

CO2 reductions and material lightweighting
The adhesive uses just 1.5 g, as compared to conventional film’s 7.5 g, KHS highlights. Furthermore, its new technology slashes CO2 emissions by 70 percent concerning the overall eco-balance. The beverage producer saves up to 67 percent in energy during production compared to shrink wrapping the containers in film as the material does not have to be heated.

“The entire production process – from the manufacture of the film through sales to disposal – is significant here,” says Petsche. With this new pack, Martens Brewery can also omit using trays, which saves raw materials such as paper and cardboard without impacting the pack's stability. Should bottlers and retailers require these, however, trays can be easily incorporated into the process.

Martens' Nature MultiPackT machine processes up to 40,000 PET bottles an hour.Nature MultiPacks not only deliver on material reduction targets but also speed-to-market. Up to 40,000 PET bottles can be processed every hour by Martens as Nature MultiPacks. Although the modular machine design allows bottles to continue to be wrapped in film, Petsche sees economic benefits for bottlers if they switch their portfolios over.

“As fewer raw materials are used, investing in the Nature MultiPacks system pays off in less than three years,” he underscores. KHS is also set to launch a new generation of Nature MultiPacks machines to market this year for the high-capacity range of up to 108,000 containers per hour.

Following competitors’ footsteps
After Evian and Carlsberg, the Belgian brewery joins a growing list of partners embracing KHS’ technology. Two years ago, Carlsberg Group launched Snap Pack, which replaces the traditional, bulky plastic rings that accompany multi-packs of beer with KHS's recyclable glue.

“We’re taking a clear stand for the protection of the environment. There’s no system to compare with this on the market,” states Jan Martens, Martens Brewery’s owner.

“For all of the industry stakeholders – from retailer to bottler – the issues of sustainability and recyclability are becoming ever more important with respect to both primary and secondary packaging. Together with KHS we provide suitable systems in the endeavor to reduce, reuse and recycle plastic,” he concludes.

Previously, PackagingInsights explored KHS’s InnoPET Blomax stretch blow molder and other next-generation filling solutions. Active in the beverage sector, KHS has been at the forefront of the digital “revolution” with networking and line optimization projects and also unveiled a fully rPET juice bottle last year.

Edited by Anni Schleicher

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