In recognition of the results of this development, on January 7, 2021 Kirin Holdings was recognized as one of the Worldstar Winners in the Beverages category of the Worldstar Packaging Awards 2021 organized by the World Packaging Organization (WPO). The technology was also selected as a Diamond Finalist presented at the Dow Packaging Innovation Awards 2020, organized by Dow Chemical Companyin the United Stateson November 11, 2020.
Kirin Holdings’ institute for package innovation specializes in the development of packaging containers and has led the industry in the development of a range of environmentally-friendly containers, including lighter returnable beer bottles, smaller aluminumcan lids and the lightest 2-liter PET bottle in Japan. (1)
This new thin film deposition technology for PET Bottles, (the hot wire CVD technique) also won the 44th Kinoshita Award in September 2020. This technology is expected to contribute to resource conservation by forming a colorless, transparent and recyclable gas barrier film on PET bottles, which prevents oxidation and degradation of the content liquid while reducing weight.
The Kirin Group is committed to promoting global CSV (2) by creating value across the world of food & beverages to pharmaceuticals. Kirin Group Environmental Vision 2050, a new vision statement on stronger social and corporate resilience established in February 2020 as part of the broader CSV environmental initiative, calls for sustainable recycling of containers and packaging at the macro level. The company will continue to promote the development of sustainable containers and packaging by using these and other technologies to save resources, while taking into account the convenience of our customers. In this way the firm will try to solve social issues.
Research title:
New thin film deposition technology for PET bottles by hot wire CVD system.
Research overview:
In recent years, environmental concerns have led to the development of technologies to make PET bottles thinner and lighter. However, because thin PET bottles are easily permeable to oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapor, there is a risk of oxidation and deterioration of the beverage contents, which limits weight reduction. Various gas-barrier technologies have been developed to reduce the permeation of oxygen and other gases, but these have had problems such as reducing the transparency of the bottle, limiting the range of drinks that can be filled, and making recycling difficult.
What is the new thin film deposition using a hot wire CVD system?
A PET bottle is filled with gas, the raw material for the film, and a ceramicrod (hot wire) is used to raise the temperature, so that the decomposed gas is deposited on the inner surface of the PET bottle. The decomposed gas forms a film and prevents permeation.
How does it work?
This technology uses special ceramicrods to form a thin film on the inner surface of the bottle that prevents the permeation of oxygen and other substances. By devising the type of film material and the conditions under which the film is formed, it has become possible to fill the bottles with a variety of clear and colorless beverages. In addition the bottles are recyclable in accordance with the voluntary design guidelines for designated PET Bottles issued by the ''PET Bottle Recycling Promotion Council'' (3), thus reducing the environmental impact of the bottles. With these features, this technology is expected to help reduce the weight of PET bottles even more than before, regardless of the liquid content.
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(1) As of December 2020.
(2) Creating Shared Value: combined added value for consumers as well as for society at large.
(3) The PET Bottle Recycling Association is a voluntary organization established in 1993 by a number of industry groups, including manufacturers of PET bottles and manufacturers that use PET bottles for drinking and other purposes. It carries out awareness-raising, research and surveys on PET bottle recycling, and establishes voluntary.
