You always hear about the stereotypes of Russians and vodka, but would you be surprised to find out that in Russia, beer is the second most popular alcoholic drink after vodka? As such, plastic container supplier Petainer has opened a new site in Russia producing recyclable PET beer kegs and also water cooler bottles for the local market.

The factory, which is located 40 miles from Moscow in Klin, is equipped with a Side blowmolding machine capable of manufacturing 700 kegs per hour, up to a maximum keg size of 50kg.

The facility is currently supplying 20 and 30-liter Petainer kegs to customers in Russia, as well as Belarus and the Ukraine.

In 2012, PlasticsToday talked with Petainer about its PET kegs. Petainer kegs use "sophisticated" barrier technologies to keep their contents in the best possible condition, the spokesperson said. The use of polyester plus scavenger and own blending incorporated in the keg restricts oxygen ingress and reduces CO2 losses by actively removing oxygen from the interior of the keg. The brown pigmentation in the plastic, plus a cardboard outer box if required, provides UV light protection.

"Russia is a very important market and our Klin factory will enable us to tap into the rapid growth opportunities in this part of the world," said Annemieke Hartman-Jemmett, strategy director at Petainer. "The new production unit boasts the very latest technology and produces kegs and containers that adhere to the highest quality, safety and environmental standards."

Petainer, which is based in the UK and has a global distribution network, is crrently showcasing its capabilities for the Russian market at UPAKOVKA/UPAK ITALIA 2014, the trade show for the plastics packaging industry, which takes place in Moscow until Jan. 31.

"Petainer kegs, once safely de-pressurized, can be disposed of in the same way as any other PET packaging. No special arrangements need to be made," the spokesperson said. "The major components of the fittings are also fully recyclable and can be placed in the normal dry recyclables or plastics recovery channels, where systems and facilities exist."