Nampak's HDPE Infini milk bottle listed as finalist in dairy innovation awards for improved convenience, usability; product offers average 15% weight savings, full recyclability, contains 10% recycled material

Kendall Sinclair

SANDTON, South Africa , October 18, 2011 (press release) – Infini, Nampak’s innovative new lightweighted design of the plastic milk bottle, has been listed as a finalist in the International Dairy Federation (IDF) Dairy Innovation Awards 2011. The judging panel for this year’s awards selected finalists and winners in 14 categories from over 100 entries from 25 different countries.

Following the success of the bottle’s in-store trials with a number of UK retailers, Infini was selected as a finalist in the ‘Best new packaging innovation for dairy foods or beverages category’. The judges were looking for products that measurably improved consumer convenience and usability, as well as making a considerable contribution to environmental sustainability.

James Crick, Business Development Director at Nampak Plastics, explains: “We are delighted with the news that Infini has been recognised by the IDF in the Dairy Innovation Awards. We were always confident in the bottle design, which has been more than justified with its recent successes. In addition to this award nomination, the in-store trials with a number of major UK retailers have been extremely positive.”

This major evolution in the design of the plastic milk bottle offers an average 15% weight saving across the range, with specific bottle sizes achieving savings as high as 21%. This results in a saving of approximately 10,000 tonnes of material per year and will deliver a saving of 23,000 tonnes of carbon annually. The HDPE Infini bottle is fully recyclable and initially contains over 10% recycled material (rHDPE) with a target of up to 50% by 2020.

A further important feature of the innovative design is the positioning of the handle at a corner edge of the bottle. Stored in the fridge, the handle can therefore be positioned facing outwards, making it easier for the consumer to remove the bottle. Recent Nampak research confirms that the consumer prefers this positioning, with nearly three-quarters of respondents finding it easier to grasp the Infini handle than the handle of the standard bottle.

Those entries that were selected as highly commended, finalists and winners were announced on www.foodbev.com and featured at the World Dairy Summit in Parma, Italy on October 18th 2011.

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