Amcor has adapted its leading-edge engineering and design technology to develop the lightest 900 ml polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle for edible oil in Brazil.

The custom- designed container for agribusiness and food producer Bunge, in São Paulo, is 22% lighter than competitive bottles while providing greater productivity and increased sustainability benefits.

The new bottle for Bunge’s Oleo de soja Soya brand represents Amcor’s entry into the edible oil market in Brazil. Amcor responded to Bunge’s industry-wide challenge to suppliers, developing a 14g container which weighs four grams less than standard bottles.

Amcor has developed the lightest 900-ml polyethylene terephthalate bottle for edible oil.

Lightweighting is an important differentiator in the edible oil market. Amcor developed a new lightweight preform which maintained the same shape while optimizing topload strength, wall thickness, material distribution, and stacking strength.

The container required a high stretch ratio so the team conducted a finite element analysis (FEA) study to optimize the design and meet wall thickness requirements. For the consumer, the redesign also maintains the same look, feel, and handling experience.

“This new bottle is a huge technological achievement because we were able to replicate the current bottle’s shape and specifications but at a lighter weight,” said Ivan Assenco, Amcor’s R&D process coordinator.

“In this project, we had many challenges, from designing a bottle with less plastic to introducing new filling technologies in our plants, but the result was excellent,” added Paulo Silvério, director of procurement for Bunge in Brazil. “Amcor responded to the challenge with a unique bottle that gives us a distinct advantage in the market.”

The lightweight container delivers sustainability benefits by reducing raw material usage by about 4.4 tons of material per year. As a result, Bunge improved its manufacturing efficiencies and reduced transportation costs.

On the other hand, in the midst of today’s hygiene concerns, capped and sealed PET bottles keep beverages protected from pathogens like viruses and bacteria. They are also sealed to combat contamination and re-sealable for ongoing protection.

As demand grows for edible oil products, Amcor expects the lightweight container to be translatable to other similar applications in Latin America. As more consumers cooked at home during the COVID-19 outbreak, Amcor helped Bunge meet the surge in demand for its edible oil products.