At this year’s Gulfood Manufacturing, Sidel presented their innovations that help liquid packaging manufacturers, co-packers and brand owners achieve longterm superior performance throughout the entire lifecycle of their packaging lines. In focus were the Sidel Super Combi, Sidel Aseptic Combi Predis™ for sensitive beverages, including liquid dairy products and the latest additions to the filling portfolio for can and glass – EvoFILL Can and EvoFILL Glass.
At the show, team Packaging MEA had an interesting chat with Harbinder Kathuria, Vice President Sales, Greater Middle East, Africa and Indian Sub-Continent about the state of the industry, Sidel’s challenges and future plans, and how he envisages the future of the industry in the MEA region.
PMEA: Can you brief us on the company’s game-changing solutions at the show here?
Harbinder (H): At this year’s show, our offering for water and sensitive drinks bottlers is in focus. We’ll demonstrate how Sidel Super Combi – integrating preform feeding, blowing, labelling, filling/capping and cap feeding in one single smart solution – is able to offer great productivity and quality benefits for customers active in the water industry.
For liquid dairy products, juices, isotonics, teas, and all sensitive beverages, our unique FDA- approved Sidel Aseptic Combi Predis, with its dry preform sterilisation technology, is another highlight. This solution really fits the market needs of food safety, flexibility, ease of operations and sustainability perfectly. We are also promoting ActisTM technology. Thanks to it, integrated on one of their PET lines, our client StrongPack, in Nigeria, saves 3 tonnes of resin per day. Impressed with the results, they have now ordered a second line with ActisTM, which will be supplied shortly.
PMEA: With 2020 nearing, what does Sidel plan to offer as innovations in terms of sustainability?
H: Let’s talk about sustainability first as there are many aspects to it. We often see pictures of all the plastic litter in the ocean but we strongly believe that PET today is the most effective material for beverage packaging. It is 100% recyclable, it is light and its production features a very low environmental footprint.
The issue is not PET as a resource but collection, where there is a big gap. In Germany, over 90% of overall plastics is correctly collected and nearly 50% of it is recycled, while for PET bottles the recycling rate lies even higher – at 93%.
Collection is the biggest concern and it is linked to consumer habits. Social change is vital. People need to be educated about the lifecycle of the various types of plastics. If you compare overall, the energy footprint, the weight and recyclability, PET as a resource is still the best solution. Coming to another aspect of sustainability: the weight. The less plastic is used the more sustainable the packaging becomes.
Since its launch, 60 billion bottles have been decontaminated with Predis, while saving 10 billion litres of water. In fact, this unique solution uses no water and very few chemicals. Talking Actis (Amorphous Carbon Treatment on Internal Surface), it increases the barrier properties of PET while enhancing the shelf life of a product, be it a CSD, tea or juice. All of that while significantly reducing the weight of the bottle and with no impact on recyclability.