WorldStar Winner: MASTERFOODS SQUEEZY PET SAUCE BOTTLES

WINNERS 2025

Disclaimer:
-The image and text displayed in the blue box have been provided directly by the applicant of WorldStar.
-This information, including the submitted images, is the sole responsibility of the respective company.
-WPO and WorldStar do not assume any liability for the accuracy or content of the provided information.
-By submitting their entry, the applicants grant WPO permission to publish these details upon winning.

MASTERFOODS SQUEEZY PET SAUCE BOTTLES

Company:

Wellman Packaging

www.wellman.com.au

Country: Australia and New Zealand

Category: Food

The new Masterfoods Squeezy PET Bottles for table sauces and condiments represents a significant contribution to the achievement of aggressive sustainability targets set down by Mars globally.

The new packaging features:
-- clear bottles that are 100% recyclable with maximum chance of bottle and resource recovery in the MRF for return to bottle making as rPET PCR
-- extreme light weighting of bottles with 500mL is down from 40g to 24.5g (38%) and 250mL down from 22.0g to 17.5g (20%)
-- transition plans underway for 100% PCR resin
-- full ARL recycling guidelines deployed on packs

Functionally, the bottles perform very well as a "squeezy" bottle, noting that there are many PET bottles used for condiments and table sauces already in market, however typically these are stiff and rigid in feel and function, which is both a product of PET and its inherent rigidity (especially when biaxially orientated during the blowing process) and bottle shape.

The new Masterfoods PET Squeezy Bottle shape and function incorporates complex geometry and mechanical design elements -- which combine with very thin wall sections down as low as 0.30-0.35mm across the main panels (front/back) -- to 4 of 9 deliver both the necessary flexibility and "softness" in feel as the bottle is squeezed -- while retaining sufficient structure and mechanical strength to "spring" the bottle panels back into shape after squeezing and ensure that the top load performance of the new bottle is at least as good or better than its predecessor.

Recycled plastics with 100% rPET have already been successfully trialled in both sizes and a launch of rPET bottles is anticipated in due course.

Shelf life testing was extensive due to the application of such thin wall sections to ensure that shelf life of the various SKUs was not sacrificed.

Beyond that, supply chain advantages of 2 stage PET bottle production can be realised with on site blow moulding and blow-filling of sauces which will significantly improve the carbon footprint and operational efficiency of this category for Mars.

Read More

The new Squeezy PET Bottles are stretch blow moulded (SBM) with 2 stages where bottle conversion is secondary to the injection moulding of the preform with the following advantages:

-- significantly lighter bottle designs vs extrusion blow moulded bottles (as used for the existing LDPE bottle)
-- lighter weight PET bottles with 2 stage SBM vs single stage SBM, especially when integrated with the filler
-- placement of SBM machinery separately to preform production such as at the filling location for greater supply chain efficiency (eg: moving smaller volume of preforms vs blown bottles)
-- bottle with injection moulded definition and accuracies
-- high speed, high output preform production
-- high speed, high bottle production
-- high process reliability and consistency

New bottle weights for the PET bottles compared to the existing LDPE bottles are:
500mL PET at 24.5g vs LDPE at 40.0g -- saving of 15.5g (38.75%)
250mL PET at 17.5g vs LDPE at 22.0g -- saving of 4.5g (20.45%)

While a formal LCA has not yet been completed however carbon cost savings on bottles alone are proportional to the savings in kilograms processed.

Logistics benefit re quantity of bottles vs preforms per pallet:
250mL -- 2780 bottles vs 15000 preforms per pallet -- 5.4X more preforms
500mL -- 1344 bottles vs 12000 preforms per pallet -- 8.9X more preforms

This equates to a ~82-89% saving in supply chain and carbon costs associated with making / storing / freighting / moving pallets in the supply chain where preform supply to the filler is made instead of bottles -- eg: for every 10M bottles filled:

-- 10M * 250mL bottles requires 3600 pallets vs 660 pallets of preforms -- saving of 45 B-double trucks (82%)
-- 10M * 500mL bottles requires 7440 pallets vs 833 pallets of preforms -- saving of 103 B-double trucks (89%)

Presently, supply to Masterfoods is arranged as finished, palletised bottles however there remains significant carbon and supply chain value streams to be unlocked via the supply of preforms for onsite bottle making noting also the extended freight costs for the Masterfoods production site being on the Central Coast.

Read Less