Rigid PET Bottles
Quality aspects of rigid
PET for beverage packaging
Dr. R. Rangaprasad*, Sapan Pandya, Hardik Soni & Swati Patil
PET Testing Laboratory, Hemshell Services, 903/1,
GIDC Makarpura, Vadodara-390 010.
Introduction
Beverage packaging: worldwide & India market scenario
The PET bottle stands out as one of the most dynamic
pack formats in the retail packaging marketplace,
particularly in its stronghold of soft drinks where it accounts
for 77% of all packaging unit volume gains over 2004-2009.
Health-driven purchasing decisions further provide
potential for PET outside its core remit of bottled water.
RTD tea, juices and milk offer other sources of growth.
Global Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) market is
estimated at 20.98 million tonnes in 2014. The market is
expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.1% during the forecast
period, to reach 29.93 million tonnes by 2020. Asia-Pacific,
with its thriving economies and rapidly expanding
population, will experience highest growth rate during this
period.
Replacement of traditional packaging applications and
reduced atmospheric emissions are the reasons for increase in
the demand of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). The Asia-
Pacific region contributes to 38% share of the global
consumption. China is the largest consumer in the Asia-
Pacific region.
About 77 % of the PET resin demand is from packaging
bottle industry which includes beverage bottles for mineral
water, carbonated soft drinks, ready to drink tea, dairy, and
functional & energy drinks. It is expected that light-weight
PET bottle trend will continue in future as it is an efficient
cost saving measure.
Indian market for PET bottles
The market of PET bottles is around Rs 4,000 crore and is
growing at the rate of 20 per cent. Liquor and pharma
companies are increasingly switching over to plastics as it is a
more convenient form of packaging compared to glass. It is
unbreakable, occupies less space, and is liked by consumers.
For enquiries : email: author.ppp@gmail.com
Email: rangaprasad@hemshellservices.com
In glass, the biggest problem is breakage and metal closure
and it is also more expensive now. Beverage manufacturing is
growing at the rate of 20 per cent and all the global beverage
makers are very bullish on India. They are investing in new
facilities and will continue to drive our growth.
New techniques like flip open caps and better closures are
emerging and there is greater emphasis on packaging with the
growth of modern retail and rising competition
In India, dairy to emerge as a major consumer of PET
bottles by 2020
Demand for PET bottle packaging of milk and milk
products is clocking 25-30 per cent CAGR.
As dairy majors increase packing milk products in PET
bottles, packaging firms are upbeat on the growing demand.
Besides, dairy majors like Amul are mulling to add two more
aseptic lines that will create an additional one million bottle
per day capacity at two sites, Gandhinagar and near Godhra.
In dairy, the advent of PET is very recent, about two-three
years old since the time Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing
Federation (GCMMF) set up the aseptic PET bottle
line.Amul is planning to add another one million bottles per
day (bpd) capacity in two aseptic lines, one each at
Gandhinagar and Godhra in the coming months for an
investment of about Rs 200 crore, informed GCMMF,
Managing Director, R S Sodhi. He added that with the
expansion, Amul's total bottling capacity would touch 2.5
million bpd.
"We are the pioneers in bringing in aseptic technology in
India, and it involves a rigorous process of heating the liquid
to about 170 degrees, then cooling it down, sanitising the
bottles as well as the filling chamber," he said adding that as of
Dr.R.Rangaprasad Mr. Sapan Pandya Mr. Hardik Soni Ms. Swati Patil
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POPULAR PLASTICS & PACKAGING m 25
 Rigid PET Bottles
now GCMMF had no plans to pack liquid milk inPET
bottles as the shelf life would be low. GCMMF is packing its
flavoured milk and certain other value-added products in
PET bottles as one of the greatest advantages of such
packaging is it is not only handy and is multi-serve(one can
just close the lid and consume the remaining liquid later), it is
also more convenient to transport.
Other dairy majors, like Maharashtra-based private dairy
player Parag Milk Foods too is upbeat on PET bottle
packaging. It has, in fact, started trials for packing liquid milk
in PET bottles apart from flavoured milk. Devendra Shah,
chairman and managing director of Parag says that demand
for PET bottle packaging is growing fast. "At present, it is
still a negligible portion of our milk packaging. We mostly
pack our flavoured milk in such packs, however, the demand
is growing at a tremendous rate in metros," he said.
Industry insiders feel that demand for PET bottle
packaging of milk and milk products is clocking a 25-30 per
cent CAGR. Herein lies the opportunity for packaging
players like Manjushree Technopack, which are packer for
some of the top beverage companies in the country including
Pepsico and Coca Cola. Currently water, juice and
carbonated beverages contribute almost 45 per cent to its
turnover.
VimalKedia, managing director of Manjushree said that
Parag is working with them for PET bottle packaging. The
company has invested over $5 million to bring in the high-
speed aseptic line to India, with an eye to tap the dairy
market. Parag has introduced its 'Farm-to-Home' fresh milk
in select cities in PET bottles. Dairies in South India are using
PET packaging for products like ghee.
Today, 60 per cent of PET consumption comes from the
beverage sector and it is believed that by 2020 liquor and milk
alone will account for 20 per cent of the consumption. Kedia
said, "Until now PET bottles were used to pack value added
dairy products only. Fresh milk has a shelf life of four to
seven days and needs to be in the cold chain compulsorily.
Since we do not have the requisite infrastructure in place,
PET bottle is not yet popular for fresh milk. However things
are changing quickly; Parag Milk from Pune has given us a go
ahead for packaging milk in PET bottles across Pune and
Mumbai." He added that Manjushree is also working with
state run co-operatives like KMF (Karnataka Milk
Federation), MILMA (Kerala) and AAVIN (Tamil Nadu) in
the dairy sector.
For that matter, the company, which is using about 66,000
tonnes per annum capacity out of its 80,000 tonnes per
annum installed capacity, is now planning to add another
manufacturing unit at Harohalli near Bangalore to increase
the capacity to 1 lakh tonnes per annum in the coming years.
News flash
CocaCola may stop glass bottles Times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-
business/CocaColamaystopglassbottles/articleshowprint/
Coca-Cola may stop selling soft drinks in glass bottles as
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POPULAR PLASTICS & PACKAGING m
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they have become more expensive to produce compared to
plastic bottles and cumbersome for most consumers to carry.
The company is sampling Rs 10-12 small plastic bottles in
Maharashtra, said people familiar with the development, and
it may withdraw reusable glass bottles from most regional
markets in the next three to four years. In its biggest market,
the US, Coke stopped selling its iconic 6.5 oz (192 ml) glass
bottles in 2012 due to similar reasons.
"Each of our packages play a role in our OBPPC
(occasion, brand, price, pack and channel) plans. Returnable
glass bottles are a big part of this plan and serves as a
recruitment pack," said a CocaCola India spokesperson.
"So, doing away with glass bottles is not a possibility. As a
part of providing choice, we are launching several single-
serve packs this season -Tetra Pak, 250 ml juice PET and the
300 ml sparkling PET."
Recently, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, the largest beverage
makers in the country, have come under threat from small
local players, who have managed to wrest away around 10%
market share from the Rs 14,000 crore aerated drinks
industry.
"At least 20 new players including Delhi-based Xalta,
Alwar-based Jayanti Beverages and Bareilly's Boss Beverages
have been nibbling away at the biggies' market shares with
cheaper products packaged in small plastic bottles," said a
soft drink bottler.
Even packaged water maker Bisleri entered the segment
this year with four ? zzy beverages priced at Rs 10. "Glass
bottles are a nuisance for a beverage maker," said Ramesh
Chauhan, founder of Bisleri.
"First, you have to sell them many times to recover cost of
the bottle. Secondly, their cleaning process is a big headache.
Add tothat their weight that increases logistics cost.
Introduction to PET
PET, which stands for polyethylene terephthalate, is a
form of polyester.It is moulded into rigid bottles and
containers for packaging foods and beverages, home care,
personal care products, edible oil, pharmaceutical
preparations etc.
Manufacturing routes for PET
PET resins are produced commercially from ethylene
glycol (EG) and either dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) or
terephthalic acid (TPA). DMT and TPA are solids. DMT has
a melting point of 140C (284F), while TPA sublimes (goes
directly from the solid phase to the gaseous phase).Both
processes first produce the intermediate bis-(2-
hydroxyethyl)-terephthalate (BHET) monomer and either
methanol (DMT process) or water (TPA process). The
BHET monomer is then polymerized under reduced
pressure with heat and catalyst to produce PET resins. The
primary reaction for the DMT process is:

The primary reaction for TPA process is:
In chemical terms, ethylene glycol is a diol, an alcohol with
a molecular structure that contains two hydroxyl (OH)
groups, and terephthalic acid is a dicarboxylic aromatic acid,
an acid with a molecular structure that contains a large, six-
sided carbon (or aromatic) ring and two carboxyl (CO2H)
groups. Under the influence of heat and catalysts, the
hydroxyl and carboxyl groups react to form ester (CO-O)
groups, which serve as the chemical links joining multiple
PET units together into long-chain polymers. Water is also
produced as a by-product.
The presence of a large aromatic ring in the PET repeating
units gives the polymer notable stiffness and strength,
especially when the polymer chains are aligned with one
another in an orderly arrangement by drawing
(stretching).After polymerization in the melt phase, the
molecular weight of polyester can be further increased by
polycondensation of PET chips in the solid state and this
process is called solid state polymerization (SSP).
Polycondensation reaction is exothermic, therefore, it can
also be driven forward to give polymer with higher molecular
weight if the reaction is carried out at a lower temperature. At
lower temperatures of polycondensation, equilibrium shifts
forward to higher completion enabling formation of higher
molecular weight of the product. Since temperatures cannot
be lowered in melt polymerization, the best solution is to
carry out the reaction in solid state, wherein temperatures
lower than melting point of the polymer can be used. At these
temperatures, the kinetics of the reaction is slow and it takes a
long time to complete the reaction.
The SSP is performed at temperatures between 220 and
235C for PET, which lie above the glass transition
temperature and below the crystalline melting point of PET.
Under these conditions, polymer chain end groups are
mobilized sufficiently to undergo polycondensation. The
annealed chips are heated in a stream of hot inert gas or by
agitating in a vacuum drier to remove small traces of EG and
other volatile by-products. As the reaction is carried out in
the solid phase, volatile by-products can diffuse easily to the
surface of each polymer chip and are instantly carried away
by the gas flow or high vacuum.
The molecular weight can be increased up to IV 0.90 for
bottle grade and as high as IV 1.20 for technical applications
such as tyre cord, seal belts and air bags.
Key attributes of PET
lPET is a virtually unbreakable, colourless, lightweight,
transparent polymer.
lAs PET is transparent, it allows the content of the
container to remain visible. The robustness of PET is
vitally important for beverage packaging since it makes
the bottles completely safe for on-the-go or sports use.
lCrystal clear products look good, pure and healthy.
Rigid PET Bottles
Sparkling PET bottles attract attention. Brilliant glass-
clear presentation of your products
lPure products taste good. PET complies with
international food contact regulations.
lSafe PET bottles are tough and virtually unbreakable
during production, storage and transportation. If they
do fail, they split, not shatter. Their high impact and
tensile Strength makes them ideal for carbonated
products.
lGood barrier the low permeability of PET to oxygen,
carbon dioxide and water means that it protects and
maintains the integrity of products giving a good shelf
life. PET also has good chemical resistance.
lLightweight 10% weight of an equivalent glass pack,
PET bottles reduce shipping costs by about 30%, and
because the material in the wall is thinner, shelf
utilization is improved by 25% on volume compared to
glass. High strength, low weight PET bottles can be
stacked as high as glass.
lNo Leakage Absolute closure integrity is possible
because of the injection molded neck finish. The
absence of a weld line in the base means that PET bottles
don't leak.
lGood Resistance PET offers the best chemical
resistance performance of any mainstream polymer
used in packaging today.
lLong Shelf-life very good shelf-life performance,
especially with the new higher barrier formulations.
lRecyclable excellent environmental profile due to single
material. Used PET bottles can be washed, granulated
into flakes and reshaped as PET bottles or employed as
material for strapping, carpeting, fibre filling, etc.
Specially designed thick-wall bottles can be washed,
refilled and reused. PET is made from the same three
elements (carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen) as paper, and
contains no toxic substances. When burned, it produces
carbon dioxide gas and water, leaving no toxic residues.
lDesign flexibility suitable for containers of all shapes,
sizes, neck finishes, designs and colours.
Manufacturing process of PET preform and
bottles
lPET bottles are produced by a two-stage process
known as Injection Stretch Blow Moulding (ISBM).
The process depicted in figure involves the production
of an injection moulded PET bottle blank or preform
followed by subsequent reheating, stretching and blow-
moulding to produce a full-sized bottle. PET naturally
absorbs water from its surroundings. Before processing
it is usually heated to reduce its moisture content to less
than 50 parts per million to avoid hydrolytic reactions
which reduces its quality by generation of acetaldehyde.
After about 4 hours of drying at a temperature of not
more than 160C (to avoid thermal degradation), the
PET is melted and injected into the preform mould,
resulting in the production of the PET bottle preform.
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 Rigid PET Bottles
The PET bottle preform is heated to the correct profile
for blowing, after which it is introduced into the blow
mould. The hot preform is simultaneously stretchedand
blown inthe blow mould to form the bottle.
Role of machine builders in producing
quality PET bottles
The role of machine builder in the success of PET as an
alternative to glass as a packaging material of choice cannot
be underplayed.
The type of dryers, preform injection moulding units &
blowing stations all combine to deliver top quality bottles at
very high production speeds.
Machine builders like SIDEL, Husky, Ferromatik
Milacron, Windsor, etc. are a part & parcel of the PET
success story.
Technical Characteristics of PET Resin
Preforms& Bottles and their significance
The key to produce a good preform & have it converted in
to a usable bottle, meeting the specifications of the end user
industry,is a technology, comprising intimate knowledge of
material attributes, machine & the ability to control the
journey of the PET material from raw material to a
dimensionally accurate rigid packaging format.
These attributes are discussed in detail below
lIntrinsic Viscosity (IV):
PET resins are classified on the basis of IV which is a
measure of average length of polymer molecular chains
or molecular weight. It influences the melt viscosity and
processing behaviour of PET and properties of the end
products. It is used by most PET producers to control
the polymerization process, to assist customers in the
selection of polymers for specific Application and to
control the preform moulding process. Generally, if an
application requires higher strength, a high IV is
FIG: Manufacturing process of Preforms and Bottles
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recommended. The IV of PET is determined from the
flow times of polymer solution and pure solvent in a
viscometer at a designated temperature. The IV value
will vary depending on the type of solvent used and
temperature conditions.
IV is measured in an Ubbelohde Viscometer using
Phenol + 1, 1, 2, 2-Tetrachloroethane (60:40 w/w)
solvent at 30C as per ASTM D 4603.
lMIV (Melt intrinsic viscosity):
A microprocessor controlled, capillary Melt
Viscometer, is specifically designed to test the flow
properties of PET. The system can be used to test other
polymers and because it does not require solvents, it can
also be used to test insoluble polymers.
It consists of a heated vertical barrel, a calibrated die, a
small piston called a "follower", a displacement
transducer called a "probe" and control systems for the
nitrogen gas flow and extruder temperature.
The equipment is based on a system developed by ICI.
It is designed for both research and quality control of
polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is hygroscopic
and liable to degrade due to oxidation in the melt phase.
The apparatus is recommended for use in the quality
control of polyester polymers to measure the intrinsic
viscosity and degradation rates.
The Viscometer extrudes molten PET similar to an MFI
but is specially developed to prevent the polymer from
degrading due to contact with the atmosphere. The
polymer is isolated from moisture and oxygen because
the barrel is sealed and the polymer is extruded through
the die using pure nitrogen at high pressure.
Therefore, an external supply of Nitrogen gas of 30 Bar
pressure is required. This nitrogen gas not only
provides an oxygen and moisture free environment for
the sample but also applies the extrusion force.
The quantity of polymer extruded is calculated similar
to the MFI method B using an LVDT "probe" to
measure the movement of the "follower". The rate of
extrusion is accurately measured by the "probe", which
is designed to operate under the highpressure conditions
within the barrel during extrusion.
The system calculates the total thermal and hydrolytic
degradation.
Therefore, a "Melt" test can show the degradation due
to the presence of moisture in the polymer so can be used
to check the performance of the production drying
system. A "Melt" test can also be used to measure the
thermal degradation factor caused by the production
extruder.
PET has historically been measured using the solution
method and this indicates the potential Intrinsic
Viscosity (IV) of the polymer but does not show how
the polymer will behave or degrade during extrusion.
The solution technique is being phased out due to the
insoluble nature of highly crystalline polymer plus high
environmental and disposal costs of solutions. It is also

not so suitable for testing reground or recycled material
because the quantity tested is very small and may not
show the "Average IV" of the mixed granules.
The instrument is designed to replace the solution
method so directly reports the Intrinsic Viscosity (IV) of
the polymer and not the Melt Flow Rate.
PET is hygroscopic and any water molecules present at
melt temperatures > 250C will give an irreversible break
in the chain at the ester linkage, which gives a drop in the
IV. Therefore, the PET Plus can ONLY give the same
IV as the solution method if ALL the moisture is
removed from the polymer before it is tested (less than
20ppm moisture).
The instrument is a semi-automatic system so can be left
unattended after the sample has been loaded and
preconditioned. The test takes a total of 17 minutes after
loading the sample.
lResidual Acetaldehyde (AA) Content:
Acetaldehyde is a colourless, volatile substance with a
fruity smell. Although it forms naturally in some fruits,
it can cause an off-taste in bottled water. Acetaldehyde
forms by degradation of PET through the mishandling
of the material.
High temperatures (PET decomposes above 300 C or
570 F), high pressures, extruder speeds (excessive shear
flow raises temperature), and long barrel residence times
all contribute to the production of acetaldehyde.
When acetaldehyde is produced, some of it remains
dissolved in the walls of a container and then diffuses
into the product stored inside, altering the taste and
aroma. This is not such a problem for non-consumables
(such as shampoo), for fruit juices (which already
contain acetaldehyde), or for strong-testing drinks like
soft drinks. But for bottled water, low acetaldehyde
content is quite important, because, if nothing masks the
aroma, even extremely low concentrations (1020 parts
per billion in the water) of acetaldehyde can produce an
off-taste.
ASTM F 2013 used for measuring the content of
acetaldehyde in PET.
The important points to note about AA formation are:
l It is generated under heat, when PET is in molten
condition.
l It is product of Thermo-chemical degradation and,
to a lesser extent of oxidative degradation.
l The rate of formation at a particular temperature is
dependent on resin formulation.
l Three different types of AA are analysed in PET
resin and containers are Residual AA measured in
Resin, Preform AA- Preforms, Headspace AA
Bottles, Lower the AA content of the preform, the
better it is for the contents.
lColour:
The most widely used technique in PET industry is the
colorimetric spectrophotometer, which measures the
wavelength distribution of light reflected or transmitted
Rigid PET Bottles
by a sample and uses this to calculate comparative colour
values. PET bottle producers are constantly striving to
manufacture high quality products where appearance is
an equally critical factor like any other property.
Reflected/ transmitted colour, yellowness and haze
affect the appearance of a bottle. The colour should be
as close to neutral as possible. The colour values are
generally measured on an L, a, b scale, by three
components, i.e. L*, a* & b*.
l 'L' denotes - Black to White. When L value is '0', it
indicates Black & '100' indicates White. Black to
White goes through 'Grey'.
l 'a' denotes Red to Green. When 'a' value is '+ ve',
it indicates Red & '-ve' indicates Green.
l 'b' denotes Yellow to Blue. When 'b' value is '+
ve', it indicates Yellow & -ve' indicates Blue.
l The L, a, b values are controlled in such a way that
the preforms/bottles will have asclose to neutral
colour as possible.
lOTR (Oxygen transmission rate) test:
This test is used to determine the oxygen transmission
rate (OTR) for total formed bottles or containers.
Oxygen transmission rate is a critical property in
understanding the shelf life of packaged foodproducts.
Transmission rates are dependent on surrounding
environmental conditions such as relative humidityand
temperature. Different packaging materials have
different transmission rates. Low barrier materials
suchas HDPE have high transmission rates compared to
high barrier materials such as PET or EVOH.
lCrystallinity:
It is a measure of the degree of crystalline order in PET
molecule. The crystallinity is directlyrelated to the
density of polyester and is normally derived from the
density value. Crystallinity should be above 50%, so
that the chips do not soften and form agglomerates
during drying prior to moulding.
lMoisture content in resin:
PET is a hygroscopic material; it absorbs moisture from
the atmosphere. The amount of moisture within a PET
sample is measure using the coulometeric Karl Fischer
technique.
lFinish dimension or Neck dimension for bottle and
preform:
The test is designed to ensure that all thread finishes on
bottles or preforms comply with the dimensions and
allowable tolerances specified on the respective bottle
finish design drawings.
lWeight and Capacity:
Plastic bottles must meet the capacity requirements of
the country in in which the bottles will be used. Bottle
weight can impact a number of performance attributes.
The purpose of this test is to determine the weight of a
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 Rigid PET Bottles
bottle along with fill point and overflow capacity.
lWall thickness of bottle/preform:
The purpose of this test is to measure wall thickness in
distinct regions of plastic bottles or containers in order
to monitor and compare with physical performance.
Successful bottle or container performance is related to
several critical properties that are dependent on the wall
thickness profile consistency such as CO2 permeation
rate, O2 ingress, water vapor transmission rate, volume
change, and top-load strength.
lConcentricity of the preform:
Various factors of package quality, wall thickness
uniformity throughout the preform periphery are
dependents on the quality of the Preform. The purpose
of this test is to verify that preform wall thickness
according to specifications.
lPerpendicularity of PET bottle:
This test method is used to measure plastic bottle,
container, and preform finish Perpendicularity. Bottles
and containers must stand upright, perpendicular to
their bearing surface for filling. PET preform finishes
must be perpendicular for the blow molding operation.
lDrop test on PET bottles
This test is used to determine the ability of a filled bottle
or container to withstand a free-fall drop. The bottles
or containers must survive the drop heights specified in
this test method. The minimum drop height survival
ensures customer satisfaction and acceptable
production and distribution environmental
performance.
lTop load test of PET bottle:
This test is used to measure the top load compression
force of empty bottle, filled bottle, Hotfill plastic
bottles or containers. The samples must withstand top
load forces during use. The top load force survival
ensures the empty bottles or containers withstand a
compression from lift cylinders in filling and capping
operations. Top load results may be used to calculate
the finishedproduct pallet stack heights during storage.
lHot fill finish stability:
Hot fill is used to evaluate the bottle finish distortion
resistance from liquid hot filling. The manufacturing
process, container material, crystallinity level, and
preform design affect the hot fillprocess distortion
resistance of the finish.
lBottle burst testing:
This test is used to determine the bottle failure-point
from rapid pressurization. Plastic bottles are rapidly
pressurized during the filling operation and a low
failure point could cause major production issues.
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lCarbonation retention testing:
Maintaining CO2 content within specified limits is
essential to ensuring product shelf life quality. This
testing used to determine the ability of filled and capped
bottles to retain carbonation. Plastic bottle carbonation
levels vary with time due to volume expansion (creep),
sorption, and permeation. Carbonation loss may also
result from improperly applied closures.
lSection weight for bottle testing:
Weight distribution consistency is an important factor
in bottle performance. Each bottle type has a unique
material distribution profile depending on the gram
weight and processing technique.
lEnvironmental Stress cracking test for CSD bottles:
This procedure evaluates the performance of bottle
bases when they are exposed to a 0.2% solution of
NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide) to simulate the failure
associated with Stress Cracking.
The hydroxide ion is the main catalyst of stress cracking
in PET bottles. A bottle that has more resistance to
Sodium Hydroxide attack should be more resistant to
stress crack initiators that a bottle may be exposed to
during its lifetime. This procedure evaluates the
performance of bottle bases when they are exposed to a
0.2% solution of NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide) to
simulate the failure associated with Stress Cracking.
BIS standards for PET
lIS 14764: PET containers for packaging of
VANASPATI-specification. This standard covers the
requirements, methods of sampling and tests for stretch
blow moulded polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
containers for packaging of Vanaspatiin quantities of I
kg, 2 kg and 5 kg or 1 litre, 2 litres and 5 litres.
lIS 14537: PET bottles for packaging of alcoholic
liquors-specification.Thisstandard prescribes the
requirements and the methods of sampling and test for
polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles for packaging
of alcoholic liquors.
lIS 12252: This standard covers Specification for PET
and PBT for their safe use in contact with food stuffs,
pharmaceuticals and drinking water.
lIS 12887: PET bottles for packaging of edible oils-
specification. This standard prescribes the requirement
and the methods of sampling and testing for
polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles for packing of
1 kg and 2 kg edible oils.
lIS 13123: Packing of liquid pesticides PET bottles up to
5 litter capacity. This standard prescribes the
requirement and the methods of sampling and testing
for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles for
packing of 5 litter liquid pesticides.
lIS 11298: Plastic films for electrical purposes. This
 Rigid
Rigid PET
PET Bottles
Bottles

Standard gives the requirements for balanced biaxially the complexities involved in the manufacture of Quality PET
oriented poly-ethylene terephthalate (PET) film for use bottle for beverage packaging.
as electrical insulation.
References:
In conclusion 1. Business standard online edition
It is evident that PET is fast emerging as an effective 2. Times of India online Edition
option to glass in the packaging sector. It is therefore, 3. Various internet resources
imperative to understand every aspect of this wonder 4. Published data from various PET raw material suppliers,
polymer, including raw material, processing & testing to Machinery & PET Testing instrument suppliers from
produce a Quality Bottle for the end use application. The various company websites n
review paper is intended to provide the reader an overview of

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