March 2018

The soft drinks sector uses a variety of different packaging formats. The main types are listed below:

Glass

Glass is the oldest type of packaging for soft drinks, fruit juices and waters. The advantage of glass packaging is that it is chemically inert and will not affect quality, odour or taste of product. It is strong, rigid and 100% recyclable. 

Plastic (mainly polyethylene terephthalate)

UK-based technology and product design company Cambridge Design Partnership (CDP) has unveiled a new patient-friendly approach to pharmaceutical packaging with the introduction of a single-use medicine BeeBetter pouch. The BeeBetter pouch is easy to use – the patient simply pushes on the childproof mouthpiece, which then pops up ready for use. The correct amount of medication is dispensed as the user squeezes the pack and sucks on the mouthpiece. And there’s a sweet surprise at the end – in the form of a spoonful of honey – to encourage the patient to finish the whole dose.

A few years ago, innovative biomedical engineer Dr David Edwards and his team at WikiFoods unveiled their answer to superfluous food packaging, the WikiCell. It is a biodegradable, film-like membrane that carries different foodstuffs in small amounts. It claims to be an alternative to plastic and a totally ‘green’ way to transport and consume food.