SIPA continues to push back the barriers of what is possible – and where – with PET rigid packaging. We have already discussed on the pages of SIPA Speaks how an increasing number of prestigious wine makers are turning to the material in place of glass. Now, a similar situation is evolving in the refined world of cosmetics and perfumes.
This is another market that for many years has been the exclusive domain of glass. But times, and attitudes, are changing. SIPA is proving that it is possible to produce beautiful PET bottles for cosmetics and perfumes that add value to the product, and which are more ecological to produce than glass bottles, because of the energy involved in the conversion process, and also because they weigh less and so cost less to transport. Recycling can be carried out in a more energy-efficient way too. Last but certainly not least, there is no problem in finding PET granules – supply issues still plague the glass bottle value chain.
The ”green” credentials of PET get even greener when new routes (or should we say roots?) are used to make it. Last year, LVMH Beauty – whose famous brands include Dior, Givenchy, and Guerlain – said it would adopt “carbon-negative” PET for its cosmetics and perfume brands. It intends to use bio-PET derived from wood residues, coming from recently-felled trees that have captured carbon over their lifetimes.
What you see here is some prototype PET packaging that SIPA created and produced for Cosmopack, part of Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna, one of the most important shows for the cosmetics industry, which took place in March. The classic 50-mL bottles were produced on an ECS SP 80 injection-stretch-blow molding system, in various colors. They already look great, and they should look even better when they have some exotic fragrance inside them!