• The KHS Innoclean DM bottle washer is very energy- and resource-efficient – especially with regard to its low water consumption.
    The KHS Innoclean DM bottle washer is very energy- and resource-efficient – especially with regard to its low water consumption.
Close×

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 part of its KHS stretch blow molder/filler block CCBP has invested in one of the first machines in the latest InnoPET Blomax Series V generation.
As part of its KHS stretch blow molder/filler block CCBP has invested in one of the first machines in the latest InnoPET Blomax Series V generation.

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.

Returnable PET bottles benefit both the climate and the consumer who can purchase the product for around 30% less per container.
Returnable PET bottles benefit both the climate and the consumer who can purchase the product for around 30 per cent less per container.

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.

Food & Drink Business

Entries are now open for the annual Melbourne Royal Australian Food Awards. Open to commercial food producers of all sizes, it is one of the largest programs of its kind. 

Victorian brewery, Bodriggy Brewing Co, is the first brewery in the state to achieve carbon-neutral certification and only the second in Australia to do so. The independent Abbotsford-based brewery achieved certification under the federal government’s Climate Active program.

According to Rabobank data, Australian consumers are facing higher chocolate prices heading into Easter, with retail chocolate prices up 8.8 per cent on the previous year as global cocoa prices soar.