Krones' lightweight impresses iF judges

Krones' PET lite 9.9 carbonated is a winner in the beverages category of the recent iF awards.

The ultralight PET bottle is suitable for carbonated beverages, and has a capacity of 500 millilitres. It is also 30 to 45% lighter than comparable PET containers on the market.

It was developed by a design team at Krones who has already won several awards for innovative packaging solutions. One of the designers’ paramount priorities is to develop containers that are both supremely marketable and at the same time eco-friendly, PET lite 9.9 carbonated answers this brief. It is produced with minimal expenditure of energy and material, siginificantly reducing both production costs and environmental impact.

The innovative thinking behind the bottle's design includes its being divided into several functional areas with different wall thicknesses. Most of the PET material is located in the upper part of the bottle, where it is held and opened. The walls in the lower section, by contrast, receive only half as much material. The bottle is reassuringly stable for handling and use due to the container's geometry, with every square millimetre factored into the design equation. Further significant weight savings are achieved with its special neck finish. In contrast to other PET bottles, this one does not have a screw-cap, but a tear-off ring-pull closure.

The PET lite 9.9 carbonated is on display with the other winners in the iF online exhibition. From March 2014, it will also be shown in the live iF design exhibition in Hamburg.