KHS, Husky launch ultralight eco-friendly PET bottle for still beverages

GERMANY – KHS and Husky Technologies have unveiled one of the world’s lightest PET bottles for still soft drinks, aiming to advance sustainable packaging in the beverage industry.

The new design requires 30% less material than conventional bottles and can be produced entirely from recycled PET.

The bottle, developed under the working title Factor 101, holds 591 mL (equivalent to 20 ounces, a common U.S. size) and uses just 5.89 grams of material.

It’s the result of a collaborative effort that combined KHS’s expertise in bottle design and stretch blow molding with Husky’s proficiency in preform injection molding.

“Factor 101 is an excellent example of how we’re merging Husky’s engineering capabilities with KHS’s bottle production know-how to deliver a lighter, high-performance container,” said Frank Haesendonckx, Head of Stretch Blow Molding Technology at KHS.

The new design builds on KHS’s Factor 100 feasibility study introduced at Drinktec 2017, which proposed a 5-gram PET bottle for 500 mL of still beverage.

Since then, the company has refined the concept to enhance stability and manufacturability.

Bottle designer Fabian Osterhold noted the importance of top load performance — the measure of vertical strength crucial for stacking and transportation.

“With such extreme lightweighting, top load values are critical. They determine whether the bottle can withstand the rigors of logistics without damage,” he explained.

To achieve the required strength, the Factor 101 design includes a modified shoulder and a reinforced body featuring functional webbing for added rigidity.

A key innovation is the redesigned base with a “pop-in” feature — it collapses inward under vertical pressure, boosting internal pressure and structural stability.

KHS reports that the Factor 101 withstands a top load of 220 newtons, surpassing the industry standard of 200 newtons for still beverage containers.

Achieving this level of performance required rethinking the preform as well as the bottle shape. KHS partnered with Husky to fine-tune the preform’s dimensions, focusing particularly on the stretching ratio from blank to bottle.

“The exact profiling of the preform is crucial. Using the focus lamps in our InnoPET Blomax Series V heaters, we achieve highly precise temperature control directly beneath the bottle neck ring,” said Osterhold.

“This ensures uniform material stretching and significantly reduces plastic usage.”

The ultra-light bottle is particularly well-suited to contract fillers operating under tight cost constraints. Initial commercial projects are in progress, targeting key markets such as the United States, the Middle East, and South America.

Factor 101 made its public debut at NPE2024: The Plastics Show in Orlando, where Husky showcased the innovation to industry leaders.

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