German retailer gives boost to beer in PET bottles

A new deposit law has prompted international retail operator Aldi to favor selling beer in PET bottles rather than cans at its German stores, according to PET packaging giant Amcor Ltd. (Melbourne, Australia). The switch will help PET beer bottles achieve the volume necessary for better market penetration, the company says.
"We have always been confident that PET is poised to achieve wholesale market penetration for beer packaging," says Phil Gunning, vice-president sales and marketing, Amcor PET Packaging Europe/Asia.
"The only issue to be resolved has been reconciling the economics of PET versus a glass or can equivalent. This can be achieved with a serious volume commitment, and we believe Aldi’s announcement will go a long way to making this happen."
There are currently more than 20 beer brands that have been launched in multi-layer PET bottles on the European market. Over half of these are in Amcor’s AmGuard multi-layer bottles.