In the ready-to-drink beverage market, PET plastic bottles have become an important alternative to 250ml metal cans, accounting for more than 35% of the global packaging share. According to Smithers’ 2023 report, the production cost of a 250ml PET bottle per unit is 18% to 22% lower than that of an aluminum can, with the raw material unit price being approximately $0.08, significantly reducing the budget pressure on manufacturers. In the supply chain, the weight of PET bottles is 40% less than that of metal cans of the same volume (on average 12 grams vs. 20 grams), the carrying capacity of a single truck is increased by 30%, and logistics carbon emissions are reduced by 25%. For instance, the operational data of Coca-Cola in the European market shows that the annual transportation cost drops by 15% after switching to PET packaging. Achieve a carbon footprint density reduction of 0.7 tons of CO₂ equivalent per ton of goods.
Technological innovation has broken through the traditional limitations of PET bottles. The multi-layer barrier technology reduces the oxygen permeability to 3cc per bottle per day (lower than the industry standard of 5cc), extends the shelf life to 12 months, and the UV barrier coating has a light-blocking rate as high as 99.5%. Suntory, a Japanese company, launched a 250ml PET coffee bottle in 2022. Through nano-coating technology, it achieved a flavor retention rate of 98% within three months, with a consumer blind test satisfaction rate of 4.7 out of 5 stars, driving an annual sales growth of 45%. In terms of the efficiency of the automated filling line, Krones high-speed equipment can fill 800 bottles per minute, with the equipment downtime rate reduced to 0.5%, significantly optimizing the production cycle. Meanwhile, the energy consumption for preform injection molding has dropped from 1.2kWh/kg to 0.8kWh/kg, increasing energy efficiency by 33%.
Sustainability indicators verify the environmental advantages of PET bottles. The recycling rate of PET bottles in the European Union has reached 59% (the recycling rate of aluminum cans is 68%), and the proportion of recycled materials can reach 50%. For instance, Danone Evian in the United States uses 100% rPET for 250ml can bottled water, reducing the consumption of virgin plastic by 2,000 tons annually. Carbon audit data indicates that rPET bottles have a 30% reduction in carbon emissions compared to virgin PET, and their full life cycle carbon emissions are 25% lower than those of aluminum cans (0.15kg CO₂e vs 0.20kg CO₂e), meeting the EU’s regulatory target of a 70% packaging recycling rate by 2030. However, the packaging strength parameters show that the pressure-bearing capacity of PET bottles at 0.2MPa is lower than that of metal cans at 0.6MPa, and paper trays need to be used in combination to optimize logistics protection.
Business conversion data shows that the penetration rate of PET bottles in the ready-to-drink coffee market rose from 22% in 2018 to 38% in 2023. Market research firm Mordor Intelligence predicts that it will exceed 45% in 2025. The 250ml PET coffee drink launched by Wahaha in China has a retail price of 2.8 yuan, a gross profit margin of 35% (the gross profit margin of aluminum can products is 30%), and its annual sales volume exceeds 500 million bottles. In the cold chain transportation scheme, the temperature stability deviation of PET bottles is only ±0.5℃, but their heat insulation performance is still 15% lower than that of metal tanks, and compensation needs to be made through formula adjustment. Overall, the 250ml PET bottle achieved a comprehensive score of 8.5/10 in the three dimensions of cost-effectiveness, technological upgrading and circular economy, becoming a powerful alternative to metal cans.