Petainer serving PET kegs to the beverage market

Plastic packaging manufacturer Petainer has developed PET kegs for the beverage market.

The new lightweight beverage containers are 100% recyclable, a Petainer spokesperson told PlasticsToday.

"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."

Petainer kegs are available in 15, 20, 30 and 40 liters. These kegs can be supplied either as complete, ready-to-fill containers or as preforms, which are blown to full size on or near the site where they are filled, the company said.

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.

The Petainer keg material and all the fittings materials are approved for food use by the European Union and the FDA. Petainer kegs can store draught beer for at least nine months.

"As a complete one-way system, Petainer kegs can offer improved hygiene performance," the spokesperson said. "Problems from inorganic staining (beer stone) and flavor taints associated with poor washing techniques, aluminum kegs or simply an aging metal keg population are eliminated."

UK cider-maker Aspall recently made the switch to the Petainer PET kegs. The company is about to launch its ciders into emerging markets such as China and India.

"This is the first time we have used PET containers, and Petainer has provided us with the perfect packaging format for our cider," said Henry Chevallier Guild, Aspall director and head of export. "Quality is our principal consideration but we believe there are also important cost and environmental benefits for us in transporting cider in Petainer plastic kegs."

The Petainer spokesperson said Aspall made the switch to the PET kegs because they are lighter and have less shipping cost than metal kegs.

"The principal drivers of sales growth are the kegs' ability to reduce costs and environmental impacts compared to metal kegs and the ability to open up, as Aspall has done, new export markets without needing to establish complex and costly systems for returning empty metal kegs for re-use," the spokesperson said.