War breaks out in Britain’s milk bottle industry

Inventor of new lightweight milk packaging declares ‘Bottle Wars’ on market rivals by unveiling dramatic parachute strength-test film as industry enters pivotal ‘VHS-Betamax’ moment.

With parachutes attached (blue for Nampak and red for Alpla), the bottles hit the ground at the same speed as they would in the industry-standard 0.9m drop test.

A battle has broken out today in Britain’s plastic milk bottle industry as Nampak Plastics, the creator of the lightweight Infini bottle, unveils a dramatic new online film that showcases the significant advantage it holds over its main rivals, including the 2012 Alpla lightweight milk bottle.

As the dairy industry reaches a crucial moment – in which an environmentally friendly ‘next-generation’ bottle needs to be decided upon to replace the current standard – the video warns that reduced weight and carbon emissions alone should not come at the expense of the product’s overall strength, the consumer’s experience, nor the bottles being ‘fit for purpose’.

The ‘Bottle Wars’ film shows 25 Infini bottles and 25 of Alpla’s rival bottle being dropped from a helicopter at a height of 300 feet. With parachutes attached (blue for Nampak and red for Alpla), the bottles hit the ground at the same speed as they would in the industry-standard 0.9m drop test – with conclusive results.

25 Infini bottles and 25 of Alpla’s rival bottle being dropped from a helicopter at a height of 300 feet

Whilst the Infini bottles remain intact and bounce on the runway, Alpla’s rival design split and empty milk over the tarmac. These results mimic those of the drop test performed in laboratory conditions, where the Infini bottle survives from a height of one metre, but Alpla’s milk bottle does not.

This means that the Alpla bottle would not even survive a fall from the bottom shelf of a supermarket’s milk trolley, let alone the average British family’s breakfast table.

Eric Collins, managing director of Nampak Plastics, explains: “Put simply, it’s crunch time in the British plastic milk bottle sector and we’ve reached our ‘VHS-Betamax’ moment. Within a year, retailers and dairy companies will adopt either Alpla’s rival bottle or Infini as their bottle of choice. Alpla have released incorrect facts about the Infini bottle to the dairy industry – so now it’s time for Nampak to fight back and reveal the truth.

“From a business perspective, naturally it’s a battle we want to win, but for the millions of British families who buy milk in plastic bottles every week, it’s a practical consideration too. If supermarkets don’t want to risk their customers suffering spilt milk in their car boots on the way home, or having a split bottle in the fridge or kitchen table, then Infini is the only sensible long-term choice.”

“The Infini bottle has created a paradigm shift in the milk packaging market.”

While both the Nampak Infini bottle and Alpla’s rival 2012 bottle deliver the same carbon and weight savings, there is one key difference. The process of lightweighting a bottle often has the disadvantage of making the bottle weaker. After four years of research and development, Nampak have created the Infini bottle to be ‘better by design’ through using innovative packaging principles, resulting in a bottle that is ‘fit for purpose’ and lighter in weight.

Results from regular testing both in Nampak’s lab** – and out on the airfield used for filming for the parachute drop film – show that Infini’s robustness consistently outperforms the Alpla rival 2012 bottle.

The issue of the lightweight bottle is a key battleground for the future of the industry, especially with waste reduction targets being set for retailers under the Courtauld Commitment* and the whole milk supply chain working to reduce its carbon footprint as part of the Dairy Roadmap.

Since its launch in early 2012, Infini has been a significant success with over 25m bottles already in the marketplace. The roll out is set to gather pace over the coming months with production set to exceed 300m per annum by the end of the year. Infini has also achieved a number of industry accolades including the 2012 International Dairy Innovation Awards for Best Dairy Packaging Innovation and Starpack Award of Excellence.

View the ‘Bottle Wars’ video, visit www.youtube.com/infinibottle and Tweet using the hashtag #bottlewars. To find out more about the Infini bottle, visit www.infinibottle.com or follow @infinibottle

* Under Phase 2 of the Courtauld Commitment, all major retailers are aiming to reduce the carbon impact of grocery packaging by 10% before the end of 2012

** In the industry standard 0.9m drop test, Alpla’s 2012 plastic milk bottle fails at least 50% of the time, whereas Infini passes 100% of the time