Shinagawa Prince Hotel
Japan’s Mitsubishi Plastics Inc. will supply 1 liter plastic bottles to Kirin Co. – Japan’s major brewery.
Wines and sakes in Japan were available in plastic bottles since 2010. But this is the first time a major brewery is using these bottles for beers.
Use of plastic bottles is rare for beers as there is high chance of permeation of gases including oxygen and carbon into the content, which can alter the taste of beer.
Mitsubishi Plastics has used a coating inside the bottles – a thin carbon film that makes them 10 times better at preventing the loss of oxygen, thus preventing deterioration of beers.
However, beer in plastic bottles will not be available in Japan’s supermarket shelves anytime soon.
Kirin plans to use the plastic bottles for a special beer delivery service. The bottles will be sealed inside a package during distribution to avoid sunlight induced changes to its taste.
Mitsubishi Plastics is also planning to produce bottles for small-sized craft beer makers and local brewers. However, the company has to come up with ways to shield the bottles from sunlight before they can be used more widely.
More on PET bottles for alcohol will be discussed at 2nd JPET (Japan PET Resin Trade, Fibers, Applications & Recycling/RPET) on 16-17 March, 2016 in Tokyo.
Contact Ms. Hafizah at hafizah@cmtsp.com.sg or call +65 6346 9218 for more information.