Sidel supports hygienic and energy efficient water bottle production in Romania with Apemin Tusnad PET line

02 Sep 2021 --- Sidel has equipped Romanian mineral water bottler Apemin Tusnad with its complete PET line for carbonated and non-carbonated bottled products. Running at 18,000 bottles per hour, the Combi SF300 solution enables Apemin Tusnad to meet the region’s expanding on-the-go consumption and environmental sustainability demands.

The new PET line reduces carbon footprint through lightweighting and a shorter neck finish, producing 5 percent plastic savings on average for each bottle while maintaining high hygiene standards. The line accommodates various formats from 0.5 L to 2.5 L, increasing production capacity by up to 40 percent.

“The reason why on-the-go consumption has been in vogue is that consumers are choosing to consume their beverages while on the move, during their busy schedule or while traveling,” Francesca Bellucci, Sidel’s sustainability portfolio director, tells PackagingInsights.

“This has created a demand for beverage variants suitable for consumption, such as Ready-to-Drink (RTD) tea and RTD coffee. However, due to the advent of the EU SUPD (Single Use Plastics Directive), environmental concerns have been increasing in Romania recently.”

The EU SUPD stipulates incorporating 25 percent recycled plastic in PET beverage bottles from 2025, extending to 30 percent in all plastic beverage bottles from 2030. The EU legislation also requires a 77 percent separate collection target for plastic bottles by 2025, increasing to 90 percent by 2029.The PET line reduces carbon footprint through lightweighting and a shorter neck finish.

Reuse versus single-use
Bellucci indicates there is some movement in the region toward reusable bottles but mainly around home and personal care products, for which hygiene constraints are less stringent.

“Most companies are experimenting with different solutions according to the ‘Three Rs’: Reduce, Recycle, Reuse. ‘Reuse’ is for sure one of the focuses, but the most active field is ‘Reduce,’ in terms of lightweighting, and ‘Recycle,’ with the increase of recycled content in containers.”

Customers worldwide are seeking out more environmentally sustainable packaging solutions, and Sidel is ready to support this transition by finding the best line conversion match for each customer, she adds.

“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 rPET (recycled PET) lightweighting is particularly compelling for the water market in Europe.”

Sidel has more than 20 years experience in rPET handling, and its blowers can process up to 100 percent rPET due to their wide blowing process capability.The line accommodates formats from 0.5 L to 2.5 L, increasing production capacity by up to 40%.

Additionally, Sidel offers in-house competence to offer rPET related services, from resin quality testing to process optimization.

Heightened hygiene
Apemin Tusnad’s partnership with Sidel began in 2003 when the first fully automatic PET line was installed. Due to its high technical and hygiene standards, the company decided to invest in a new Sidel Combi carbonated and non-carbonated mineral water PET line.

All bottle forming, filling and closing operations are performed in an integrated and fully automated system. Therefore, the entire bottling circuit of mineral water – from the underground aquifer to the enclosed filling environment – takes place in a controlled system without any external biological interaction.

Additionally, the Sidel SF300 filler with reduced filler enclosure helps preserve the purity and mineral character of the water, keeping the filling environment compact and in consistent overpressure with HEPA filters to ensure high hygiene standards.Apemin Tusnad is a leading Romanian mineral water bottler.

Hygiene and product protection remain key consumer drivers. A recent Sidel tethered cap survey found European consumers prioritize product safety and convenience over waste reduction.

Apemin Tusnad
Founded in 1999, Apemin Tusnad is a leading mineral water bottler in Romania with a 50,000 liters per hour production capacity. It has invested over €30 million (US$36 million) in technology and production.

The company owns three brands: Tusnad, Artesia and Izvorul Ascuns. Apemin Tusnad uses mineral well water from the depths of the Harghita volcanic mountains.

In similar developments, 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.

By Joshua Poole