Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages (CCPB) is tackling the water crisis in South Africa by recycling returned PET bottles on a low-resource KHS InnoPET Blomax V stretch blow molder that was put into operation last year – one of the first ever on the market.
KHS says it scores with resource savings and a production process with a significantly smaller carbon footprint.
As large water consumers, beverage bottlers such as CCPB are under public scrutiny, particularly in South Africa. The country's largest city, Cape Town, which experienced a water crisis in 2017 and 2018.
“We’re of course expected to set a good example,” Greg Morse, manufacturing and supply chain director at CCPB, said.
“We have to be accountable to our customers and the public – not only in times of crisis, but every single day.”
Thanks to its optimised near-infrared (NIR) heater, this machine from the latest generation of KHS stretch blow moulders consumes up to 10 per cent less energy. The AirBack air recovery system also included in the returnable bottle blowing process uses up to 40 per cent less high-pressure air.
The new technology also saves on resources when it comes to material consumption. The improved material distribution of the stretch blow moulding process now uses the PET located below the neck ring that to date has remained unstretched, enabling lighter preforms to be used.
CCPB’s sustainability strategy also includes using more returnable bottles made of both glass and plastic than some of its competitors: the share of the product range is currently around 20 per cent and should double by 2025. This helps to prevent waste and achieve ecological sustainability, and is also viable from an economic standpoint. If a refillable PET bottle is returned, the product is sold for about 30 per cent less – benefiting not only price-sensitive consumers, but also the company itself, as in doing so it is able to reach wider groups of buyers.
