Plastic bottles move toward aseptics (sidebar)

According to a recent study of the U.S. marketplace conducted by Business Development Associates, Inc., of Bethesda, MD, aseptically filled PET containers are projected to grow in popularity. Looking exclusively at PET containers for three end-use applications—isotonics, juice/juice drinks, and ready-to-drink teas—the study projects the unit volume growth of hot-filled PET, aseptically filled PET, and the two combined. Hot-filled PET, the study shows, will continue to grow nicely, nearly doubling between 2000 and 2004. But aseptically filled PET is projected to grow more than six-fold over the same period, going from 10% of the combined total to nearly 26%.