Packamama plumps for PEF over PET in industry first
The packaging company famous for its flat plastic wine bottles used by the likes of The Wine Society plans to house wine in a newly patented material – polyethelene furanoate (PEF), which Packamama claims is superior to existing recycled PET products. Sarah Neish finds out more.
Sustainable wine bottle design is marching on apace, with the drinks business able to reveal that Packamama is set to trial the industry’s first PEF bottle this year. Speaking exclusively to db, Packamama’s innovation executive Keely Pakes said that up until now the company has chosen to make its flat bottles “from recycled PET – that’s pre-existing material of the type used for soft drinks and mineral water.”
“We decided to choose PET over pulp/paper or aluminium because PET is not reactive with wine, unlike pulp or aluminium which both need plastic liners to work,” said Pakes. “Mixed material packaging is also harder to recycle and so will face challenges under increasing packaging, recycling, and waste management regulation.”
What is PEF?
However, Packamama now intends to use something called PEF, branded ‘Releaf’ by Amsterdam-based circular plastics developer Avantium. PEF (polyethylene furanoate) is a material made from plants (specifically plant sugars).
“PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is made from oil (so million-year-old plants deep underground),” explained Pakes. “Assuming that we do not use plants which should go towards food or energy, then this is a superior source of feedstock for polymers.
“We believe that the ‘made from plants’ messaging will also benefit from a feel-good factor for consumers.”
According to Pakes, PEF has been designed “to be structurally analogous (have a chemical structure and comparable properties) to PET, and hence offers similar inert benefits.”
However, the real trump card – and something that is important for wine – is that PEF could offer “a far superior gas barrier to PET.” How so?
“Think of gas molecules trying to travel through a crowded room,” said Pakes. “In PEF, the polymer chains are stiff and have less movement – like a room packed full of people. The ‘furan ring’ in PEF is quite rigid, so it doesn’t wiggle or rotate much. That lack of movement makes it very hard for gas molecules to find their way through. Importantly, this advantage remains even when PEF is stretched into a bottle.
“In practice, this means PEF can help keep beverages fresher for longer and protect delicate flavours such as wine.”
World first for wine
Packamama wants to be the first in the world to deploy the PEF polymer in the wine industry and has signed an exclusive agreement with Avantium to secure future volumes of PEF for the production of Releaf.
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The company intends to manufacture the first bottles this year.
“The bottles then need to go for extensive testing in addition to the simulations we have done already,” explained Pakes. “This is a world-first for wine, and so we need to be 100% sure of what we are commercialising. If the material and bottles pass the tests, then we are confident we will commercialise these quickly. We have a good idea of who the forward-thinking retailers and producers are who would offer us this opportunity – they’re the ones who engage with us already.”
Wine companies currently working with Packamama include the likes of The Wine Society, Miguel Torres Chile, and Aldi.
Patience and persistence
Pakes told db: “When we first entered discussions with Avantium, they were in the pre-manufacturing stage. They then proceeded to the pilot plant and then to the flagship plant. These deployments take years, and the important thing is to keep connected and motivated. We love finding innovative technologies and are fine with nascent ones that require patience and persistence.”
Packamama CEO Santiago Navarro explained that “by combining Avantium’s breakthrough material with Packamama’s expertise in innovative, lower emissions wine bottles, the partnership aims to accelerate the development of next-generation, low-carbon packaging solutions for the wine industry.”
“We will keep using PET but will also offer PEF,” confirmed Navarro “And we realise that the names sound similar, so we intend to use brand names wherever possible.”
Australian support
The Australian government has also played a part in PEF’s development, giving Packamama “extensive investment” to the sum of AU$1 million to support its efforts to decarbonise wine packaging.
“We have been searching for a material that meets our performance standards and sustainability requirements, and is made from plants,” said Navarro. “We believe that Releaf offers a unique combination of high performance, environmental responsibility, and appealing consumer messaging.”
For more insight on wine packaging innovations check out: Are aluminium bottles the next frontier for wine?
Also, why paper bottles could become the norm in the future.
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