One-piece closures dominating beverage market, says AMI

Tag : Resin Liquid
A report published recently by Applied Market Information ( AMI ) examines trends in the European plastic closures market in 2007,estimated at €1.5bn.

The group predicts growth levels for one-piece closures of 4 per cent annually, driven by developments in sports drinksand juice-based drinks and the growing market penetration ofpolyethylene terephthalate ( PET ) due to its lightweighting capabilities.

Light weight closures are increasingly being used by beveragemanufacturers in response to increasing demands from customers tocut raw material costs.

AMI said that high density polyethylene (HDPE) one-piece closuresnow account for 64 per cent of all standard beverage closures,which is an increase of 9 per cent on 2004 figures.

Customised closures

Custom closures, including pouch spouts and non-standard diameterflat caps, can provide manufacturers with added value, claims AMI,and the group said that this segment is predicted to grow becauseof a strong demand for sports closures.

Following the introduction of the plastic cork for glass bottles,AMI also expects the market for plastic beer closures to grow;however, this demand will stem mainly from Eastern Europe, said theanalysts.

Non-drink applications

In terms of non-beverage applications for plastic closures, AMIpredicts growth in the liquid food segment, which represented 18per cent of the end use of closure applications in Europe in 2007.

"The advent of heat stable PET, clarified PP and multilayercontainers is opening up new markets to plastic closures," claims AMI.

"Demand will be driven by increased penetration of PET bottles indairy applications, and by growing substitution of glass packagingby plastic containers in table top sauces, baby food, cookingsauces, dehydrated and snack products," added AMI.

The analysts also highlight other opportunities for food-relatedplastic closure use, such as cold fill applications like honey.

According to the report, innovation and a sustainable differentialadvantage will lie at the centre of plastic closure production overthe next five years with the focus on functionality, convenienceand modernity.

Light weighting

Bericap recently introduced a range of light weight closures tosave their customers money and offer them a greener alternative,according to the manufacturer.

In a statement the company said that savings on the newlyintroduced Hexalite closures amount to almost 2000 tons of resinsavings for each one billion bottles produced, an estimatedreduction of 15000 tons of green house gas emissions and almost€3m in cost reductions.

Sidel also has been developing PET bottle lightweighting, itsNoBottle using up to 40 per cent less plastic, according to theFrench company.

The group believes this focus means producers can reduce theirequipment's impact on the environment and get a quick return oninvestment at the same time.