Packaging developments in the beverage industry don’t always move very fast, but when they do they can come in seismic shifts. Consider, for instance, what PET did for bottled water? And what the 8-ounce can did for energy drinks?

Well, no one knows for sure yet whether the coming year will bring with it one of these seismic shifts, but there certainly are a lot of companies working on packaging advances, which, if they come to fruition, could provide new tools for beverage marketers for years to come.

The first area of interest is one that really took root in 2007 and is expected to only grow more important to beverage marketers in 2008—green packaging. Several new lightweight PET bottles were introduced to the marketplace in 2007, the latest in November, from Krones (pictured). But 2008 could see more use of biopolymers made from corn or other alternatives to petroleum.

“Since the production of PET depends a lot on the cost of petroleum, I think that in the next few years it will be very interesting to see how the biopolymers start to enter into the market,” says Dino Zanette, laboratory director, PET Engineering.

One example is France-based Sidel, a partner in a French program called BioHub, whose ultimate goal is to develop new bio-materials that might one day be used in beverage packaging and for other consumer products. BioHub has a 98 million euro budget and has a seven-year timeframe to complete its research.

As for PET, 2008 could see more radical designs for beverage bottles. “The PET heatset bottle was a pretty unimaginative arena from a shapes standpoint for a long time and I think we’ll see the wraps come off of that,” says Leonard Zabinko, vice president of custom beverage marketing, for Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Amcor PET. 

When it comes to cans, this year could see the use of more photo-realistic graphics. “We’re rolling out our high-quality graphics, which have a 50 percent improvement in the line screens that we’re able to provide on the can,” says Neil Mitchell, vice president sales–account executive, for Crown Beverage Packaging USA. “Now the image that you can put on the can will just make that promotional tie-in that much more impactful.”

This year also could possibly see the introduction of recloseable cans made of metal and plastic. “Recloseable cans have been kind of the Holy Grail in the can industry for many, many years,” says Mitchell. “It would make for some pretty exciting opportunities, especially to help position cans back into channels that recently have migrated away from cans, like the cold channel—c-stores and vending. Resealability is an important feature for people on the go.”
And, finally, let’s not forget glass. The growth of organic beverages has fueled the use of glass bottles, and this is expected to only accelerate in 2008.

“Organic beverages and specialty beverages will continue to use glass for pure and premium positioning,” says Joseph Cattaneo, president, Glass Packaging Institute.

Additionally, Emhart Glass, the world’s leading technology supplier for the glass container industry, is building a $20 million research center in Windsor, Conn., which will be used to develop glass-making technology.

“This investment,” says Cattaneo, “will assist Emhart in its ongoing research to develop glass-strengthening processes that reduce shattering and improve the speed and economics of glass production.”

From Beverage World January 15, 2008