Sidel boosts Iraqi PET bottle production with complete water line for Durrat al Khaleej
07 Jul 2021 --- Sidel has built a complete water line for lightweight PET bottle production in Iraq for local company Durrat al Khaleej (DaK). The line comes as DaK makes efforts to stay ahead of international environmental sustainability policies.
Sidel, an F&B equipment and services solutions provider, is touting the line’s energy and material savings and subsequent price reductions for customers.
The development comes as Iraq faces myriad economic and social issues, with international travel and trade severely restricted.
Undeveloped waste management infrastructure throughout the country is also poorly equipped to deal with the massive amounts of PET required to provide clean water to the nation’s 38 million citizens.
“We understand that we need to play an active role in protecting the environment and, by extension, our future. DaK shares the same values as we do,” a Sidel spokesperson tells PackagingInsights.
Improving Iraqi water production
After consulting with DaK, Sidel constructed a new line designed to optimize output with minimal material usage, the company says.
“Considering all the needs of local customers, we suggested a compact complete water line solution with the speed of 24,000 bottles per hour for the lightweight and simultaneously stable PET bottle design, weighing only 10.5 grams for the 500 ml bottle format,” explains the spokesperson. 
Sidel’s production line in Iraq.
Sidel and DaK were inspired to improve production following the implementation of the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD), which launched on Saturday (July 3). The company says the legislation should be a “signal for customers worldwide.”
“Sidel is ready to support this transition by finding the best line conversion match for each customer not only to prepare for tethered caps, but also to gain a greater added value by optimizing bottle weight and energy consumption, reducing production costs and greenhouse gas emissions.”
“PET and recycled PET lightweighting is particularly compelling for the water market in the Greater Middle East and Africa region,” continues the spokesperson. The line has achieved 98.1 percent line efficiency, they add.
Sidel in the East
Sidel’s collaboration with DaK is not it's first in the MENA region. The company says building improved beverage packaging lines throughout Asia remains a key focus for the future.
This year, Sidel equipped the Indian PepsiCo franchise, RJ Corp, with its Aseptic Combi Predis technology. The move marked the first commercialization of dairy PET packaging in the region as Indian companies face increasing demand for healthy beverage options.
Last year, Sidel also aided Japanese company Sangaria with its novel aseptic packaging technology for carbonated and still drinks in PET bottles, bringing a single line to the Asian market for the first time.
By Louis Gore-Langton
