Ardagh has reduced the weight of a 330ml Coca Cola bottle to below the 200g level for the first time. The new 190g bottle is the result of a series of improvements, which have seen the 330ml version of the contour bottle reduced in weight from 240g in 2005 to its current weight. During the process, Ardagh was able to retain all the bottle’s trademark dimensions, and maintain quality and strength while improving environmental performance. The lightweighting project also involves 330ml Sprite and Fanta bottles, in addition to the smaller sized 200ml Coca Cola bottle, which is sometimes referred to as the ‘mixer’ bottle. The 200ml container has had its weight reduced in three stages during the same timeframe, from 170g in 2002 to its current weight of 140g. Carsten Berkau, Design Manager for Glass Europe at Ardagh Group, stated: “Lightweighting is an ongoing process through well-established design and manufacturing techniques. "Our task is keep the brand shape, while determining the stress points and the optimum weight of a glass bottle. State of the art technology ensures that when we are challenged, we can respond with even greater precision.” Ardagh is also working with Coca Cola on other sustainability projects with a view to reducing energy and CO2 emissions. The installation of heat exchangers in a pilot project at Ardagh’s Dongen glass plant in the Netherlands transfers recovered energy in the form of hot water from the glass plant to Coca Cola’s nearby bottling plant.
