Extrusion International 4-2019

22 Extrusion International 4/2019 INDUSTRY NEWS First Lightweight, Eye-Catching PET Bottles for Pasteurized Beer in Brazil Amcor has adapted its leading-edge design technology to develop the first polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles for pasteurized beer in Brazil. The company designed cus- tom 600 milliliter containers for beverage maker New Age Bebidas, Leme, São Paulo, that feature the beauty of a glass- like, champagne-style base combined with the convenience of lightweight and shatter-resistant PET. Amcor’s design showcases New Age’s Salzburg craft beer brand and differentiates it from standard glass bottle de- signs. It features a crown metal cap, replicating the standard glass bottle. The PET containers are a replacement for glass during the filling and capping process, withstanding the in- ternal pressure and high-heat conditions of the tunnel pas- teurization process. “PET bottles offer design advantages over glass while be- ing lighter weight, more easily and safely portable, and unbreakable, and provide the required barrier protection,” said Rodolfo Salles, research and development manager for Amcor in Brazil. Amcor uses an oxygen scavenger barrier additive to prevent oxygen ingress and egress, providing up to four months of shelf life. The bottle is compatible with existing recycling streams and is 100% recyclable. The lightweight containers also significantly reduce transportation costs, and energy and CO 2 emission reductions along the supply chain. Amcor www.amcor.com Bebidas www.newagebebidas.com.br P.E. Schall GmbH & Co. KG www.fakuma-messe.de Fakuma 2020: Digitalisation, Networking and Sustainability Everybody who’s anybody in the field of plastics processing will meet at the 27th Fakuma international trade fair for plastics processing in Friedrichshafen from the 13th through the 17th of October, 2020. The technical event with an emphasis on injection moulding will occupy all available exhibition floor space in the modern exhibition centre on Lake Constance, and will be more international than ever before. The Fakuma international trade fair for plastics processing is an acknowledged industry and technology barometer. Fakuma con- tinues to expand upon its leading position. 1933 exhibitors from 40 countries travelled to Friedrichshafen in 2018 to participate at Fakuma, and nearly 48,000 expert visitors from 126 countries at- tended the industry highlight on Lake Constance. Once again in 2020, the trade fair will approach the 2000 mark and occupy all existing exhibition floor space. Trade fair promoters P. E. Schall are announcing further increases in internationalism for the event. Fakuma visitors are provided with a comprehensive overview of all plastics technologies: whether injection moulding, extrusion, thermoformingor 3Dprinting is involved, users are able togather information regarding all processes, machines and tools which are relevant for plastics processing in a targeted fashion. Circular Economy Getting Underway Plastics don’t have a very good image amongst the general public thesedays – pollutionof theworld’s oceanswithplasticwaste is in the news almost every day. The plastics industry has a real reputa- tion problem. Objective clarification and a differentiated discus- sionare thus necessary in this regard. For example, plastic plays an important role as a packagingmaterial for soft drinks andmineral water, the most relevant beverages for PET bottles on the Ger- man market: the one-way deposit has a positive effect, resource recycling is a nearly closed-loop and PET bottles don’t contain any plasticisers. Due to its comparativelyminimal weight, plastic pack- aging has a better ecological balance sheet than glass bottles. Sustainability necessitates the use of more andmore plastic. The term circular economy has long since established itself in the plastics industry. The question is no longer “whether or not”, but rather simply “how”. The fact that the circular economy has also arrived where the production of plastics processing machines is concernedwas demonstrated at Fakuma 2018 to a greater extent than ever before – it will advance to become one of the most im- portant issues at the event in 2020 and will be dealt with inten- sively. Inparticular because higher recyclingquotas and improved efficiency for waste management can only be dealt with at the global level bymeans of an open dialogue. Plastics processors will only increase their use of recyclates for the production of plastic products if reliablematerial quality is available in adequate quan- tities. However, this is only possible if enough recyclable waste plastic is collected. Everyone involved in the value chain will have to work together in order to implement closed-loop systems – including the final consumer. Mutual work on all of the decisive steps within the loop will be required, including production and use of the products, as well as disposal.