Sidel has introduced the StarLITE®-R Nitro, a new bottle base designed for nitrogen-dosed still beverages and edible oils, made entirely from recycled PET (rPET). The StarLITE®-R Nitro features a distinctive ‘wave’ design, differing from traditional petaloid shapes, and has been tested under industrial conditions to ensure high bottle resilience and quality.
Laurent Naveau, Packaging Innovator Leader at Sidel, stated, “StarLITE®-R Nitro is the perfect choice to create stand-out shelf appeal. It is the most aesthetically appealing bottle base for liquid nitrogen-dosed products with a mainstream or affordable market positioning. The design is compatible with any existing bottle shape and is easy to blow and shape, even at high production speeds with 100 percent rPET.”
The StarLITE®-R range, which includes the new Nitro base, is dedicated to bottle bases made from rPET. Nitrogen dosing involves adding a small amount of liquid nitrogen to beverages and food products, increasing the pressure inside the bottle to aid the pack’s resistance through the supply chain. This process is utilized for still beverages and food products. Naveau explained that brands are looking for a design that maintains the performance of traditional shapes while offering a unique appearance.
Sidel’s new wave-shaped bottle base is designed to help manufacturers create a distinct shelf presence. This design supports various bottle shapes and sizes, from 0.2 to 2.5 liters, enhancing creative possibilities while differentiating from carbonated soft drinks. The base’s optimized mold geometry and venting system facilitate easy and efficient shaping.
The StarLITE®-R Nitro demonstrates high mechanical performance at high speeds when used with 100 percent rPET. The base can handle production speeds up to 2,700 bottles per hour per mold (b/h/m) for single-serve formats and 2,500 b/h/m for multi-serve bottles. It has undergone rigorous testing, including drop tests, ensuring no base breakage, which is crucial for rPET bottles that are more prone to breakages. The base design provides a stable standing surface and withstands storage temperatures up to 38 degrees Celsius.
Sidel’s patented mold technology, featuring 8 to 10 waves, allows the bottle base to withstand internal pressures of 0.5 to 0.8 bar, even with lightweight bottles. The design is compatible with Sidel’s SBO blowers and can be retrofitted onto existing production lines and molds.
The StarLITE®-R Nitro also offers sustainable packaging solutions. Switching from virgin PET to 100 percent rPET for a 0.5L bottle reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 32 percent. Additionally, the Nitro base’s optimized venting design reduces the blowing pressure needed, achieving an 18-bar pressure for single-serve formats compared to the market average of 24 bars, resulting in a 25 percent CO2 reduction.
Sidel’s StarLITE®-R Nitro provides manufacturers with the opportunity to adopt more sustainable practices while maintaining high performance and creative flexibility in bottle design.