amcor rigid plastics has been recognized by the worldstar 2015 packaging awards competition. amcor captured a beverage award for the development of lightest heatset polyethylene terephthalate pet container, designed exclusively for a leading beverage supplier.  according to amcor, the innovative 500ml bottle sets a new benchmark for heatset pet containers, enabling manufacturers to achieve aseptic filling packaging weights without a prohibitive investment, while offering a more ecofriendly option. amcor&39s latin america design team, based in miramar, fl, worked in partnership with the beverage maker to develop the container, which gives regional consumers a lighter, more functional sports bottle. the product has been initially launched in central america with future plans calling for distribution throughout the entire latin america region.  the new bottle&39s grip has been engineered and designed to enhance the consumer&39s overall experience. the amcor design offers a sleek, ergonomic form with oppositional hand grips that flex under pressure. this feature, in combination with grooved fingerholds and a sports cap closure, creates a highly functional squeeze bottle that utilizes the flexibility made available by light weighting for rapid rehydration.  along with the ultralightweight container, amcor and bericap developed the industry&39s lightest 33mm tamperevident finishclosure for hot fill, weighing in at just 3.7 grams. amcor believes the unique finish will become a new standard for hotfill bottles due to the 7.9 gram reduction in weight compared to the standard 38mm alcoa. this new finish led to the creation of a bericap closure with a builtin seal that eliminates rubber liners or induction seal foils, thus reducing overall materials use. the bericap closure is made of highdensity polyethylene hdpe instead of polypropylene pp like the previous caps. hdpe is more widely accepted than pp in recycle streams and the absence of any other barrier materials such as ethylenevinyl acetate eva or paperfoil increases recyclability, says amcor.the new hotfill bottle is designed to run on existing filling lines with minimal changeover. in addition to 500ml bottles, the new design will be adapted to other package sizes including 350 and 600ml and 1l containers. 
