Fresh Milk in Clear PET with 20% PCR

A first in the Argentine dairy market is a 1-liter clear PET bottle for fresh milk that contains 20% post-consumer recycle (PCR). Amcor makes the custom bottle for leading dairy firm Mastellone Knos of Benos Aires. According to Amcor, use of clear PET bottles is a growing trend among Latin American dairies to showcase freshness and premium quality. These bottles are designed to drive consumers from aseptic packages to the chilled section of the grocery story. In October 2019, Mastellone launched shelf-stable, ultra-high-temperature (UHT) milk in aseptic, white-colored bottles, also from Amcor.

“In a market that has remained stagnant for several years, we’ve broken the rules by developing an entirely new format offering for fresh milk,” says Martin Darmandrail, Amcor’s Specialty Containers director for Argentina. “We’ve shaken things up with a unique fresh milk package with the durability, freshness, performance and sustainability benefits of PET.”

A key technical challenge was limiting light exposure to prevent damage to the milk. Amcor solved this with an additive that provides light barrier while maintaining bottle clarity. The milk bottle includes a 38-mm finish and HDPE screw cap from Bericap North America, a joint venture of Amcor and Bericap Group.

Amcor Rigid Plastics is working with emerging dairy brands in North America to add PET bottles to their packaging portfolios. These bottles include those made with PCR. Amcor says it can offer containers with up to 100% PCR where the application permits.