The 16oz Curve container, unveiled yesterday, offers a smaller carbon footprint, recyclability and reduced transportation costs thanks to a near six-gram weight reduction compared to the standard container, added the company
The bottle weighs 29.5g – nearly a fifth lighter than the segment standard bottle of 35.3g - making it the lightest 16oz PET salad dressing bottle in North America, said the packaging giant. The previous lightest container of this kind was 30.4g.
Despite the weight reduction, the bottle’s strength and performance parameters have been maintained. Design enhancements have allowed its top load strength to be “significantly higher than that achieved by other lightweight alternatives”, said Amcor.
Consumer demand, industry help
Demand from consumers for greener packaging was the driver behind the bottle’s development, while feedback from brand, marketing, and engineering managers from a range of clients aided in its design. The prototype underwent several testing phases, when the company used Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to build in improved top load and overall strength and performance without compromising the bottle’s design, said the company.
“Our extensive FEA capabilities and lightweighting experience allowed us to dramatically reduce weight without compromising too much on performance and ultimately deliver an attractive container that meets the sustainability demands of today’s packagers and brand owners,” said the company’s technical manager Laurie Goetz.
The bottle’s rectangular footprint optimises cube efficiency. This maximises storage capacity both in the distribution chain - on the pallet and in the warehouse and during transportation – as well as on retail shelves. The Curve has a 33mm finish with an oblong design.
The company said it can offer customized shapes and decorations at a significant cost savings over traditional tooling thanks to its modular mould programme .
Production of the container will be out of Amcor's Itasca plant in Illinios and will be available with up to 20 per cent food-grade PCR (post-consumer resin).